Boy Next-Door
by LittleMissBrit
Summary: Modern AU. Arthur is the invisible loser at Albion High whilst Gwen is the popular, head cheerleader whom he's been crushing on since forever. Problem: she's dating the evil Lancelot. What happens when an English project brings them closer? Merlin is not mine.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Guinevere 'Gwen' Leodegrance floated down the short, wide corridors of Albion High, her hair floating behind her as if she were in a summer breeze.

'Note to self: stop reading so many damn books!'

It was the first day of Junior year and as she had said every single time, it was going to be the best school yet. Cheer captain, on Honour Roll, great friends and the football captain as her boyfriend- nothing but the cliché American Dream.

Yes, life was great.

"...So then, Gwaine went to Sefa 'it's not my fault I'm a sexy beast.' I'm surprised that she actually didn't lamp him- but then again, Sefa barely even talks..."

Gwen laughed at Morgana, the girl with all the gossip.

Morgana Le Fay had been best friends with Gwen ever since the pair could remember. Widely regarded as one of the most beautiful girls at Albion High (and indeed, Camelot), the statement was justified by the Vice Captain's long, flowing dark locks and alabaster skin. She was tall with a thin frame and soft, compassionate jade-coloured eyes.

"Were you even listening at all?" Morgana raised her newly-done eyebrows skyward.

"Something about Gwaine being confronted for his womanizing ways but somehow 'superbly' managing to get out of it again?"

Her best friend nodded in satisfaction, a sceptical look still upon her face. They continued down the hall, taking in the fact that everybody immediately moved back to let them through. The mob that originally looked as though they were going to give them a tough time getting through now looked like regular teens.

They finally arrived at the lockers that had been given to them in freshman year. Gwen opened it with ease and immediately began placing her books from the previous year back in. She groaned at the sight of the Calculus hardback, mentally hoping that she wouldn't have a double-period of it twice last time.

Morgana, on the other hand, was not having as much luck. Practically kicking the metal, she regretted it instantly as her toe immediately became a sensation less numb.

Gwen burst out laughing.

"I forgot my combo," Morgana argued as she stupidly hopped on one foot before apprehensively clicking the numbers around. A ragged sound indicated that she had done it correctly. Breathing a heavy, relieved sign, she opened the door.

"I hope we have Mr. Roswell again this year."

The dark-haired beauty shrugged, "I'd rather have Miss. Kennedy. She actually agreed with me about the fact Selena Gomez was better with Taylor Lautner than she currently is with Justin Bieber!"

Gwen smirked, "Yeah, well Mr. Roswell always lets us work with each other. He favours us- class was a breeze last year."

Morgana pretended to be shocked, "Coming from Miss Work-Ethic."

Before Gwen could come up with a sassy reply, two masses of blonde and brunette hair respectively practically ran into them. Staggering backwards, the pair went red with laughter at the sight of their other two close friends.

Elena Gawant was a blonde tomboy who only liked cheerleading because it was remotely sporty. She has soft blonde curls and a very athletic figure.

Freya Lake, on the other hand, was a petite girl who enjoyed ballet and other graceful hobbies. She had very long, dark chocolate locks.

"Heya!" Frey practically screamed in their faces, unusually preppy, "I cannot believe it's our junior year! Two more to go before we can get out of this place!"

Elena and Gwen exchanged a look. The light-haired female was used to the craziness of her best friend. She often thought that she was the only normal one in the group (aside from the level-headed Gwen). She was equally as loud and sometimes as brash as Morgana, but not quite as so as Freya. The once-shy girl was turned into a chatterbox after getting into the cheerleading squad.

"I have some news!"

They all turned to her expectantly.

"I'm captain of the Lacrosse Team! And they're considering me as a spare in the netball squad!"

Another round of 'girling' commenced as they congratulated their friend. Gwen grinned- it truly looked as though this was going to be another great year.

She suddenly froze as a pair of large, tanned hands covered her eyes. Realising who it was, she relaxed and turned around, smiling.

"Lancelot."

Lancelot Du Lac- her boyfriend of nine months, give or take. It was kinda cliché- he was the quarterback, captain of the football team. He was handsome- tall with shaggy hair and piercing brown orbs. He was flagged by his two best friends (or cronies, as Freya called them or henchmen, as Elena put it) - Helios Maynard and Mordred Bane.

Helios was rather tall, with hulking muscles and a gang tattoo innocently covered by his letterman jacket.

Mordred, on the other hand was small and rather slight with a dark crop of hair. He was the kicker- the littlest member of the football team. Whilst JHeHaHeroigjfdgrgHelios was more of the bodyguard type, he was the worshipper- the Peter Pettigrew to James Potter and Sirius Black.

"Hello Gwen," he kissed her briefly, before turning to the other girls, "Morgana, Elena, Freya. Great to see you girls. It's been a long summer."

"It has," Elena agreed.

"Nice bag, Morgana," Mordred squeaked.

"Thank you," she replied coolly as she examined an old sweet packet, throwing it into the back of the locker without a second thought.

Mordred had had a crush on her since...forever. Since she accidentally threw sand in his eye in Kindergarten and helped him clean it off. She was cool, popular, witty, kind and attractive, whereas he was nothing more than a lackey- only attributing his popularity to two things: Lancelot and the team.

"Shall we get going, babe?" Lancelot drawled as he shut Gwen's locker with his spare hand.

"Sounds good. Coming ladies?" she looked at her friends who groaned, but followed. With a click of his fingers, the quarterback has Helios and Mordred on his heels.

Strolling down the corridor, the students parted like the Red Sea yet again.

Lancelot's hand immediately reached for Gwen's and she accepted it.

"Move it, buddy," he hissed at a nervous freshman. Normally, his girlfriend would have scolded him for his rudeness but was too involved in a conversation about Freya's new puppy.

Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed somebody staring.

"Watch where you're looking Pendragon. Oh and by the way, you look like you were just attacked by Freddie Krueger." he snapped, causing Mordred to laugh and Helios to smirk.

-BOY NEXT DOOR-

Arthur Pendragon glared at the 'handsome' boy who had just spoken those cutting words to him. He'd always hated that guy, but especially since freshman year. It used to be old fashioned, school-yard bullying back in elementary and middle school but now it was cruel, vindictive. Lancelot hated the boy he barely knew.

Most, if forced to, would agree that Arthur was a lot more handsome. He has blonde hair and soft, kind blue eyes in comparison to Lancelot's cold ones. He had sharp cheek-bones and a muscular build. He wore a soft sea t-shirt and baggy dark denim jeans and grey Converse, but there would never be a letterman on him.

"I don't see what Guinevere sees in that slime ball," he commented maliciously as the group turned to corner, out-of-view, "He only wants her to boost his popularity even more."

"He is a horrible guy," Merlin Young retorted, "But you only REALLY hate him because he's dating Gwen and you've been in love with her since the dawn of time."

Arthur blushed at his words. Merlin was his only friend- a lanky lad with dark hair like Mordred's and skin so fair that he could have been the male version of Snow White. They were the two most unpopular students at Albion High (or most unknown-if you stopped a random student, they would be ninety-nine percent unlikely to identify him). The mean crowd only knew him because he was Lancelot's favourite and most regular target.

"I hope she sees the light and dumps his sorry arse," Arthur replied bitterly, "That would be hilarious- the look on his face. His ego would finally be deflated to the size of a grape."

Merlin shut his locker and grabbed his friend, pulling him into the main throng of students. They battled to get to one of the side-halls, where there would be less people and less of a challenge.

"Face it," it was time for some tough love; "You will never be with her."

"Prey, tell me why."

"This school is a hierarchy. If this was a kingdom, Lancelot, Gwen and their close friends like Morgana and Helios would be the monarchy- the undisputed rulers. The nobles are the football, basketball and cheerleading squads. The higher-ranking servants would be the normal students. The kitchen staff are the Goths and Emos, the people that the monarchy oppresses. We then have the townspeople- the kids who no-one gives two hoots about, you know, the geeks- chess club, computer nerds."

"Where are we on this spectrum?"

"We, my friend, are the lowest of the low," Merlin put a palm on his friend's shoulder, his other hand spread in the air."

"The folk then?"

Merlin shook his head, "We are the scum, the criminal scum. The ones who the servants throw rotten fruit at and the monarchy gives a social death to."

"Gwen is popular. She's head cheerleader, honour roll, daughter of the richest guy in town. She drives a sports car and has several thousand friends on Facebook. If Gwen comes to your party, then you are guaranteed to be famous for at least a week,"

"And your point is?" Arthur creased his brow.

"You are invisible, not part of any club. You may be smart, but you aren't the brightest, no offense. Your dad works for her's. You drive a 50's pick-up truck and only around a hundred friends on social media. You never throw parties."

Seeing the look on his friend's face, Merlin was a little sympathetic.

"If you were popular, Gwen would love you. You're kind, better looking than the regular lad, smart, etc. But you aren't cool."

"I guess you're right," Arthur sighed.

"Just listen to your Auntie Merlin," the said boy patted his shoulder as the warning buzzer clanged.

"Don't you mean Uncle Merlin?"

"That."

**I know it's a little unorthodox, but I like the idea of the roles being reversed. Arthur and Gwen may meet in the next chapter and if not in that one, it will be the next one.**

**Please review?**

**Semper Fi xxx**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

"Well you got your wish- Mr. Roswell again!"

Gwen smiled as they entered into Room 5B, immediately going over to their usual seats a couple down from the front. The middle-aged teacher was not present so they placed their folders onto the smooth wooden desks. Settling down, Morgana surveyed the class.

"Same old, same old," she began filing her nails in a bored fashion, "Football team, Sefa and her friend. Mithian, right? Couple of people I don't actually know, oh and Gwaine! Wahoo."

Gwen smirked- her best friend had hated Gwaine Macken since he'd asked her out in kindergarten and broken her heart the next day. He was childish, immature- way too 'cool for school.' He was clever but chose to use his powers for evil, a bit like Darth Vader.

"Hello ladies," the handsome brunette staggered past, "Loving the hair Morgana. What is it- Witch's Pick 27?" He burst out laughing as the cheerleaders rolled her eyes.

"Good comeback for a SECOND GRADER!"

"You still love me though, don't you?"

"Not really. I prefer my dog."

Gwaine whirled around to see Mr. Roswell in the doorway, hands on hips with a 'share to care?' look upon his face.

"Hey sir, great to see you again. How was your vacation time? Was it Greece you went to? No wait that was Mr. Jackson. You went to Turkey, am I right? I went there with my mum- great time. I think she hooked-up with some waiter but I was with his daughter all that time so I did not really get a chance to find out. They say I'm like her. Her name's Grace- she's a teacher too, but she does History. Maybe you two should go on a date sometime. Then again, I wouldn't want you as a stepdad, no offence sir. Oh yeah, and my gran's allergic to dogs and she's at my place all the time."

Morgana, Gwen and the rest of the class burst out laughing as their teacher turned red.

"To your seat Mr. Macken," he pointed at it for effect, "Or would you like a detention on your first day back?"

"Detention for $20," Gwaine replied in a catchy, game-show voice.

The class dissolved into giggles once again.

Mr. Roswell looked as though he was about to burst.

"Okay," Gwaine held his hands in the air as a surrender as he staggered backward to his seat at the far end, "Just joking, Mr. R."

The teacher glared at him until he stumped his butt onto the metal, taking his binder out in an infuriatingly slow fashion.

"Welcome back to my English class, juniors. It seems we have the same class as last year so I will not need to go through the rules like I do every year. Or maybe I should."

The students shook their head quickly.

"No need sir," Leon Knight called from the back row, "We memorised them over summer."

"Really?" Mr. Roswell was not convinced, "Care to inform me of guideline forty-eight, Mr. Knight?"

"If you are chewing gum as you enter the classroom, immediately take it from your mouth and drop it straight into the middle of the trashcan so you can see that it has been properly disposed off."

The class tittered at the teacher's shocked face, one that he was trying to keep straight.

"Very good," he replied through gritted teeth, "I think that we should get on. Last year's speaking and listening was not up to scratch last year- it could have been so much better. So, we will have to do another one instead of the poetry writing."

There was a collective cheer.

"It is easy to do a play when a certain scenario, such as acting out the fight scene from Romeo and Juliet. Now quickly, what is the correlation between Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Snow White?"

"They are the best dress-up costumes ever!" Gwaine called out.

"That's a bit disturbing," Gwen muttered under her breath to Morgana, who nodded in agreement, looking at their 'friend' with worry in her face.

"No," Mr. Roswell replied in a bitter tone, "They are fairytales."

The class looked at him in fear.

"No, you will not have to write one."

They breathed in relief.

"In pairs, you will have to create and perform a missing scene from a classic. It can be anything, as long as it is appropriate."

His eyes swivelled over to Gwaine as he said this.

Gwen smiled- she adored any type of fairytales, so this was absolutely perfect for her. There could be a comedy scene, a fun friendship or maybe talk of love.

As she closed her eyes to ponder, she suddenly became aware of Morgana whispering in her ear.

"I have this most amazing idea for Rapunzel. You see, what I was thinking..."

"Actually, Miss. Le Fay, I will be picking your partners!"

It took about three seconds before the class started complaining.

"You can't do this!" Gwaine yelled, "This is against out Human Rights! My aunt's friend's sister's brother-in-law's ex-neighbour's wife is a lawyer! I will sue you for this!"

There were several other persistent, but not quite as bad excuses including Morgana's 'medical problem.' Gwen chose not to raise her tone, but to simply voice her opinions through a disgusted facial expression.

"SILENCE!" Mr. Roswell screamed.

The whole class froze in shock and stared at him.

"Better," he replied in a calmer voice, "Because of the fact we have an odd number, there will be a group of three. The trio will be Mr. Macken, Miss. Le Fay and Miss. Rundle."

Sefa looked as though she wanted the ground to swallow her up as she reluctantly headed over to sit with Gwaine, who beamed at her.

Morgana, on the other hand, was not so willing.

"I am not working with him," she hisses, throwing her finger into a point at Gwaine, who merely smirked.

"You will work with him whether you like it or not," Mr. Roswell replied coolly, "Now scoot- any blemish could get you off the cheerleading team, correct?

Morgana glared at him as she stalked over to her assigned group, head held high.

"Good luck," Gwen mouthed.

"Thanks," her friend mouthed back as she dropped into the seat.

"Next, we have Mr. Knight and Miss. Nemeth."

Leon and Mithian, Sefa's friend, nodded at each other- they had spoken to each other a couple of times and reasoned that the other person was decent.

"We now have..."

Mr. Roswell continued reading names and Gwen crossed her fingers, praying silently that she wouldn't get anyone she hated. There was still the chance of Vivian Moffett, an air-headed girl who only cared about her delicate, baby-doll looks.

"Miss. Leodegrance and Mr. Pendragon."

'WHO?'

Gwen struggled to think of who that was- maybe he was new? Then again, if he was, Mr. Roswell would have made him stand up and say a few things about himself.

She looked around until she locked eyes with a very good-looking boy with blue eyes and fair hair. Taking her things, she walked over to the spare seat beside him and turned around, holding out a hand.

"Hey," she smiled at him, "I'm Guinevere, but most call me Gwen."

The boy looked at her in the upmost shock, before retaliating.

"Arthur," he gave her a half-smile."

"You know Arthur," she scratched the back of her head, "I cannot say that we have spoken before."

"I cannot say we have either."

"One more point class," Mr. Roswell suddenly called, "I want you to take this lesson as an opportunity to get to know your partners. To break the ice, a little. Okay, sorry for that interruption. Continue."

The pair turned back to each other, feeling the awkwardness.

"So you're cheer captain, huh?" he asked, "What's that like?"

"It's great, I guess," she shrugged, "Cheerleading's fun- it's dancing and gymnastics rolled into one, which is fab. It looks good on my college resume but anything bad and it could go on my record. I think it was the honour roll that got me the position."

"Nah, it's because you're brilliant."

Gwen stared at him.

"Brilliant at cheerleading, I mean," he faltered.

She relaxed slightly, but was still frowning.

"So," she began, "Are you part of any clubs or teams? You look quite athletic, you know."

It was Arthur's turn to be shocked.

"I m...mean," she stuttered, "You seem like the type...oh, never mind!"

"No, I'm not part of anything," he replied, saving her slightly, "I'd like to be in the football team, but I am not the kind of guy they usually let in. Besides, I'm probably not as good as the likes of Lancelot and Helios."

"Helios isn't even that good anyway," Gwen replied casually, "He's just a brute. The only reason he didn't get banned from that match before summer was because his uncle was the referee."

Suddenly realising what she had said, she turned bright red and clapped her hands over her mouth.

"PLEASE don't tell him I said that," she begged, "Or Lancelot. Or anyone for that matter."

"Your secret is safe with me, Guinevere," he put a hand on his heart.

"Urgh, I hate that name," she shuddered, "Please call me Gwen, it's much simpler."

Arthur shook his head.

"I like the name Guinevere," he replied, "It's original, cool, memorable. Gwen could be short for anything- Gwendolyn, Gwyneth etc. Need I go on?"

"Okay, okay, I get it," Gwen swatted her hand, "But I register my disapproval, okay?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever."

The rest of the lesson went smoothly and was filled with both small talk and mindless chatter about the latest songs, films and whether Mordred would ever have a girlfriend. Gwen glanced at Morgana every few minutes to see how she was doing.

Gwaine did not stop talking and it was clear by the expression on the cheerleader's face that she was not enjoying it. Sefa sat on her seat, staring down at the table looking extremely humbled and generally frightened for her life.

The bell eventually clanged and Mr. Roswell briefly looked up from his papers to dismiss them. Gwen collected her things and smiled at Arthur before rushing over to meet Morgana at the door.

"Your partner is HOT!" she squealed, "Where has he been hiding?"

"Away from you," Gwen retorted, "I don't know- I didn't even know he existed. His name's Arthur Pendragon, nice guy. Quite funny too."

"Ooh really?" Morgana turned her head subtly to take another look at him, "Is he single? I bet he has a girlfriend though."

"No, he isn't dating," Gwen replied, "I was talking about Lancelot and he told me that he wasn't with anyone at the moment."

"Should my ears be burning?"

Gwen grinned as her boyfriend came up behind her, pecking her on the lips.

"Nothing, just a brief mention."

"Alright," he replied as Mordred and Helios joined them and Morgana.

"Bye Arthur," Gwen turned to him and beamed as he exited the door.

He looked at her with a deer-in-headlights look before nodding.

"Goodbye, Guinevere," he smiled before heading down the opposite way, aware of the daggers that Lancelot was giving him.

"Why were you talking to that Pendragon kid?" he asked in a hostile tone, "He's a freak."

"Don't be so horrible Lance," she spoke in the harshest tone that she could muster, "You'll find that he is actually a really great guy and you shouldn't be so quick to judge!"

Lancelot glared at her in shock.

"Well, he kinda is," he replied hotly.

"Yeah, well Lancelot, we aren't all perfect like you, are we?" she shot back as she headed down the corridor, her best friend beside her.

The football captain went red.

"Wait a second, babe, I was joking," he began to chase after her, "Babe! Wait!"

**Hello all! I am on a Merlin high and looking forward to tomorrow's episode! Thank you for the 11 reviews, 8 followers and 2 favourites!**

**Replies:**

**Guest: Thanks, I liked adding twists to stories.**

**zal: You got your wish.**

**Jadziwine: Thanks. I prefer modern AU Merlin stories.**

**gorgeousangel: Thank you.**

**BookDragon87: Thanks too.**

**whitecrossgirl: I do like him, but it just kind of worked for the story. **

**Guest: Cheers**

**Guest: Cheers to you too.**

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**Larasmith: Thanks to you as well.**

**Semper Fi xxx**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Arthur practically jumped over the dessert tray as he skidded into the kitchen, to an eventual halt in front of the restaurant manager Lauren. The thirty five-year old stared at the boy of sixteen as he opened his mouth.

"I am so sorry I'm late Lauren!" he garbled, "The truck was crazy so I went to get the bus and I'd just missed it. So I had to wait another quarter of an hour and yeah, I am so sorry. I swear it won't happen again- I'll do extra time!"

He valued his job as a waiter at the St Ives Hill Country Club- the work was hard but the money was decent. He didn't really like working for the snooty rich, but he had to do what he could to provide for his family. The manager was strict and he had seen good men and women fall under her wrath.

Lauren just laughed, "It is fine Arthur, we had to delay your shift by ten minutes anyway as Amy was late because her sister had just given birth. Go over to Derrick and he'll assign your tables for tonight. Okay? Just don't make it a habit."

Her eyes twinkled- it was damn lucky that for Arthur that she was in a good mood.

"Thanks Lauren," he nodded at her briefly before heading over to the head waiter, a tall but not so foreboding twenty-two year old.

"Evening Arthur."

"Evening Derrick, who have I got first?"

The raven-haired man consulted his electronic pad, sliding the downward button until he found Arthur's name. Double-checking, he looked up at the teenager.

"Table 27," he replied, "Two regular customers so be careful. Pennington's on the warpath today- the fat old thing fired one of the dancers for bumping into one of the folk and not apologising straight off."

Todd J. Pennington was the CEO of the club- a small, incredibly rotund man with sausages for fingers and a love for expensive things. It was his great-great-grandfather who had founded the place, so responsibility had fallen onto him. He was known as being a strict boss who only cared for profit and not his employees.

"Right you are," Arthur grabbed an apron and wrapped it round his waist before reaching for a notepad. Bustling out of the way, he reached the doors.

And froze.

Gwen sat at a table with the man that he presumed was her father or relation of some kind. He wore an expensive-looking business suit with Italian loafers whilst she donned an off-the-shoulder white blouse and simple black skirt. Her hair was up in a bun and even with minimal make-up, she still looked beautiful to him.

"Oh no," Arthur turned back to Derrick, "Not that table, anyone but that table."

The man sighed, "Sorry Arthur, they are 'valued customers.' They can't be kept waiting. I know what you know Gwen but that's just life. Again, I am very sorry."

With a sympathetic shrug, he directed his attention at one of the waitresses.

Taking a deep breath, Arthur strode over to the table. Gwen smiled in recognition as Arthur put a hand to his throat, making sure that her father couldn't see. Nodding understandingly, Gwen nudged him.

"Daddy, the waiter is here."

The man peered around.

"Oh, I am sorry," he apologised to Arthur, "We are ready to order."

Arthur clicked his pen, "What is it that you would like sir?"

The dark-skinned male surveyed the menu for a second, before finding what he was looking for, "A lobster dinner please."

Arthur scribbled it down.

"And for the lady?" He turned to Gwen, who fought the blush reaching her cheeks.

"I'll have a prawn linguine please," she replied as she folded the black carte de jour and handed it to her friend, giving him her father's as well.

Arthur nodded before turning on his heel and walking away, not before sharing a knowing glance with the female customer.

Gwen turned back to her dad who was checking his iPhone. Swearing under his breath, he pushed it back into his pocket.

"Is something the matter daddy?"

"Just work," Thomas 'Tom Leodegrance shook his head, "Nothing interesting- one of the cleaners managed to make a right mess of the meeting area. Sandra is talking with him now and is processing his termination documents through administration."

"What is the guy's name?"

"Uther Pendragon," Tom replied casually.

Gwen spat part of the iced tea she had been drinking onto the plate, coughing violently. A member of staff rushed forward and hit her tiny fist on her back, clearing the airways. Several other restaurant-goers could be heard inquiring in the background, mainly well-wishing.

"Are you alright?" the greying lady asked, "What happened?"

"I am fine," Gwen nodded, "Thank you- I just choked on the ice cube, that's all."

Thanking the woman, Tom slipped a ten dollar bill into her hand before placing his eyes back to his only daughter, concerned.

"Are you sure that you are okay?"

"All is well, thank you," Gwen replied as she took another delicate sip.

Unconvinced, Tom changed the conversation.

"So how is school?"

"Good," the girl replied, placing a stray strand of hair back behind her ear, "We have a cheerleading competition in Austin later this year so I presume that we will be staying over there for a couple of nights. The presidential elections are going and Morgana is going to President of the Student Council."

"How is Lancelot?"

Gwen shrugged "He's...fine, I guess."

Tom knew his daughter and was therefore immediately suspicious.

"He hasn't...tried anything with you has he? Because if he has, I swear to God..."

Gwen laughed, "Daddy, I mean it, he's fine. The Football Championship is in Denver next June and he is already readying the trip. I told him not to be so big-headed but he merely chuckled and patted my head. Maybe it's good that he is so advanced." She shrugged lightly.

"I don't like that boy," Tom commented.

"You are so judgemental."

"I am merely protective of my daughter."

Gwen smiled meekly, "Of course daddy."

She didn't like to admit it, but she had to play the role of 'Daddy's Little Princess.' She was to be always on time, a good conversationalist, willing to talk to the clients and most important, she had to act and look like a lady.

To her, it was a medieval practice but it was important to her dad. She was not the only one- her brother had the same kind of pressure. He had to be the athletic leader with lots of friends and girlfriends from rich backgrounds.

"So have you thought about who you want to perform for your birthday?"

"My birthday is not only until March," Gwen spluttered, "It is only September."

"We need to get someone quick- they get booked out quickly," Tom replied, "What's that band that all you kids are listening to nowadays? One Way? The one with that Harry Styling?"

"Harry Styles," Gwen laughed, "They are called One Direction."

"Do you like them?"

"Yes, they are a very good band," the dark-haired girl answered, "They've got nice songs and are all quite good-looking."

"Are there any other performers? I'm willing to pull out for three if you do well at your education. You had Rihanna last year, so I don't think that you will want her again."

"I love Taylor Swift."

"The one that sings that Romeo and Juliet song?"

"Love Story, yes," Gwen replied softly, "I also like Ed Sheeran. He's relatively new in the States- he's an English singer. He did a music video with Rupert Grint lip-synching to it, Lego House."

"Rupert Grint?" Tom creased his brow, "Should I know him?"

"Ron in Harry Potter," Gwen informed him.

"Oh," her father nodded, "I recognise the name now. Anyway, that's all I needed to know, we can discuss the rest nearer the time. How are you doing in English? Elyan always struggled at that until he got that tutor in fifth grade. Now he's studying at Yale!"

"I am doing well. We've got a project- we've got to create and perform a missing scene from a fairytale."

"You and Morgana come up with any good ideas?"

"Morgana isn't my partner actually," Gwen told him, to general surprise.

"What, have you two had a falling out?"

"No actually, Mr. Roswell picked our pairs. I'm with this kid called Arthur who I did not know before we got put together. He's one of those people who doesn't really make in impact on the social scene. I don't mean it in a nasty way-he's quiet, that's all."

"What's he like?"

"He's actually really nice," Gwen replied earnestly, "Really kind and he had me in stitches with some of the things he said."

"That's nice," Tom smiled, "He sounds much nicer than Lancelot."

Gwen chose not to reply to this as Arthur walked over with their foods, placing the orders in front of their places.

"Enjoy your meal."

"Thank you," Tom replied off-handedly.

"Thank you," smiled Gwen.

Arthur nodded before walking away- he really had no chance.

She was in the restaurant that he was serving in.

He wore a uniform whilst she was probably in Gucci or Donna Karen or something.

Her meal probably cost more than his dinner for a whole week.

Oh well, he had no idea.

**Hello, it is I! How did everybody enjoy this week's episode? Next week's looks BRILLIANT, but I won't spoil it for those who haven't seen the promo.**

**It looks like you guys have seen what totally different worlds Arthur and Gwen live in. Sort of like Series 1-4 but modern era and swapped roles.**

**Thank you for the reviews-6! I got 11 for the first so may this chapter please match it. *Puts cute animal of reader's choice in front of screen.***

**Replies:**

**freckled98: Thank you.**

**gorgeousangel: Thank you also.**

**whitecrossgirl: Not actually a bad idea- I haven't decided upon the fairytale yet.**

**larasmith: We'll see.**

**Jadziwine: Yay!**

**Julie Winchester: You are welcome. **

**Semper Fi xxx**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Arthur slammed his books on the desk. His father had made a mess of a meeting hall right before a conference and with no right of appeal (according to his boss Sandra), he had been fired. This meant that Arthur had to take extra shifts at the club whilst Uther attempted to find work.

"Good morning," Gwen smiled at him as she took out her own, placing them neatly in front of her.

He barely grunted.

"Is there something the matter?" she asked, even though she knew perfectly well what had happened to him. She did not, however, want to force him to say it aloud.

"It is nothing Guinevere," Arthur replied, not wanting to take his annoyance and anger on her, "Don't worry about me."

"Arthur..."

"Guinevere, I told you not to worry, so drop it," he hissed. Seeing her upset and taken back expression, he retracted slightly.

"I won't bother in future then," she replied in a curt tone as she flicked through her hardback, "Listen, I know that your father was laid off last night and I understand that it is hard. But the thing is you should not have to take it out on your friends. What about that kid you hang around with? I'm sure that he is upset with your behaviour."

Arthur gaped at her- she had totally called him out.

"How d...did you k...k...know?" he stuttered.

"Your father works for mine," she stopped, "I mean worked, sorry."

"No, it should be I that apologises," Arthur replied earnestly, "I am sorry for snapping at you, you are right it was rude. I was horrible to Merlin this morning, totally uncalled for."

Gwen shrugged as she turned to the front, where Mr. Roswell was attempting to get the classes' attention.

"Today you will be choosing what fairytales you will be doing and preferably sorting out a scene, although it is not required today. As soon as you have chosen which story you would like to do, one of you must come to the front and tell me what you are doing in order to avoid a clash. I want everyone to do a different one so that there won't be the same scene. Points if you choose an original fairytale, something that not many people know."

He nodded before rustling the papers in front of him, ready to mark.

It was not long before Vivian and another girl, Audrey Cook immediately shot up, heading for the teacher's desk. It was common knowledge that they both wanted to do Cinderella.

"I stood up first, so it shall be I who gets Cinderella," Vivian hissed.

"No way," replied Audrey, a huge girl who was a famed teenage wrestler in Camelot, "It was my idea first, so shove off Blondie."

There was a gasp in the room. Gwaine quickly whipped out his phone and pressed video, shushing Sefa and Morgana. Cells were allowed at Albion High, as long as they were kept away during lessons. It was lucky that Mr. Roswell was barely even paying attention.

"What's the bet that this is all over YouTube by tonight?" Gwen whispered.

"A bit too likely," Arthur mouthed back.

Vivian and Audrey had begun physically attacking each other, their fists beating the others hair, faces etc. The teacher was not even reacting, merely grading the tests in front of him, mainly in red pen.

"I'm gonna get a chunk of that pretty blonde hair!" Audrey threatened as she grabbed at Vivian's long fair locks.

"I'd like to see you try, tubbo," Vivian shot back.

"Someone get a bowl of milk cos we've got some cats in the house!" yelled Leon from the back. Mithian elbowed him, quite hard, in the ribs.

Mr. Roswell looked up from his grading, "Keep it down, my dog was yowling all night so I haven't had much sleep." With that, he continued on.

Gwen marvelled at her teacher's inability to care about what was happening right in front of him.

"Hey, can anybody on the middle row get a front view so I can edit it for higher viewing pleasure?" Gwaine yelled.

Edwin Muirden was immediately on it as he grabbed his Samsung and placed it in front of the warring teenagers. Gwen, Arthur and several others got out of their seats and peered over his shoulder, watching the movement of the video.

"Zoom in on Vivian's left arm when it goes up and down," Gwen suggested, "I think there may be a bruise on it that's the size of Audrey's fist."

"It doesn't go that far," Edwin replied as he attempted to do so.

The fight continued, getting dirtier by the second. The cheers heightened to a whole new level, but to an extent which would not leave the thick-walled classroom.

Sighing, Morgana stood up, her dark hair flying behind her. Everyone watched the fight still but Gwen's eyes flickered to her best friend's figure as she stalked over to the desk.

"Gwaine, Sefa and I wish to do Cinderella as our play," she announced grandly. The entire group shut up and watched as Mr. Roswell nodded, scribbling it down. Audrey and Vivian ceased their fighting, staring open-mouthed at the cheerleader.

"Cow," Audrey muttered under her smelly breath.

"Urgh," Vivian staggered up, "Brush your teeth girl."

"Why you little...!" screeched the fatter teenager as she lunged at her peer once more. After several seconds, Mr. Roswell's eyes slowly upturned towards them.

"Go to the principal's office," he told them.

They froze once again, staring at him.

"NOW!" he screamed suddenly. The whole class jumped as a bruised and battered Vivian stalked out in a dramatic fashion, holding her head high. Seconds later and an extremely angered Audrey followed, her sausage fingers curled into a threatening fist.

"Hey, shouldn't someone go after them?" Leon called, "They might have another smack-down in the middle of the hallway and Mrs. Lister is down the corridor. She'll give them hell."

Mr. Roswell shrugged.

"It'll be their fault," he reasoned, "Now get back to work."

Gwen and Arthur sat down, still giggling. Audrey didn't give off that friendly impression, so was only acquaintances with the rest of the wrestling team and Vivian had been dubbed the 'Wannabe' in the book of high school.

"So, anyway," the chocolate-curled teenager was still red faced, "Is there any particular fairytale that you are interested in? I mean, of course you aren't interested in them, you are a high-school male." She blushed scarlet.

"I don't really have any ideas," Arthur admitted, "Girly stories aren't really my forte."

"Fairytales aren't girly stories!" Gwen argued, "That may be the case for older guys such as yourself but didn't you listen to Cinderella or Rapunzel as a small boy? You know, stories to get you ready for bedtime?"

"My mother died when I was born," the blonde replied, "She lost too much blood. Only lived long enough to name me then hold me briefly. She was gone before I was an hour old. My father has raised me you see- he told me that fairytales were for wimps and that I should listen to stories about soldiers and superheroes. When I asked him to tell me about Sleeping Beauty so I could understand what the girls were talking about, he always said the same thing. 'It's what your mother would have wanted.' Every single time."

Gwen looked at him with wet eyes.

"I am so sorry," she whispered in shock.

Arthur shrugged, "It's fine, I guess. I never really knew my mum, but I've always had my dad."

"My mother died when I was eight," Gwen suddenly spoke, "When I was six, she got six. Then she got a little better but went back too hospital when I was seven. Leukaemia. I didn't really get my head round it then because I was still so young. We learn about it one day in biology in sixth grade and when I got home, I just broke down in my room. I was eleven and just so scared..."

She broke off slowly, tears brimming her eyes.

"Hey," Arthur spoke softly, placing his palm on her knuckle in a soothing manner, "It's okay."

She looked down at the hand and he immediately realised what he had done, retracting his hand quickly.

"Sorry," he muttered.

"It's fine," Gwen wiped her eyes with her wrist, "Anyhow, shall we get on? I have an idea actually."

"What is it?"

"Have you ever heard of the story of the Steadfast Tin Soldier?"

Arthur mangled his face, trying to work out what it was. Eventually giving into his closed mind, he shook his head.

"One day, a boy gets a present of twenty-five tin soldiers. But one has only one leg, as he was the last one cast from an old tin spoon. He spies a paper ballerina standing on one leg and falls for her, despite the warnings of a toy goblin. One day, the soldier falls from the windowsill and onto the street. Two boys see him and place him on a paper-boat. It washes into a storm drain and a rat demands a toll. Moving on, the soldier is eaten by a fish. By bizarre circumstances, he ends up on the plate of his original family, right in front of his love. The boy throws the soldier into the fire and the ballerina joins him when she is blown in by a sudden gust of wind. She is destroyed immediately and only her spangle remained. When found by a maid the next morning, the tin soldier has melted into the shape of a stone heart."

She finished, catching her breath.

"That sounds...good."

Gwen rolled her eyes.

"No seriously, it's a great idea Guinevere. No-one else will have picked that idea. Is there any particular scene you had in mind?"

Gwen nodded, "Yes. I was thinking of a scene where the boy is forced to play with his sister, who insists that she is allowed to do a romantic pairing between the soldier and the ballerina. They almost kiss, but are interrupted when the children are called for supper."

Arthur's mind was racing. The chance to be close to Gwen for a genuine purpose, so that Lancelot could not beat him up over it.

"That sound amazing!" he told her, a little too enthusiastically.

Gwen stared at him curiously.

"I mean that we are sure to get good marks for it..." he faltered, trying to save himself.

"Okay," Gwen smiled, "Would you like me to get up and tell Mr. Roswell what we are doing?"

"If you would like to," Arthur replied with a grin.

The female got up and walked over to the desk. Making sure she was not looking, the male pumped his fist in victory.

This was going to be a great assignment!"

**Hey guys! I hope you enjoyed this chapter- I liked writing it! I may not be updating for a couple more days because my best friend is staying over tomorrow night and I'm going to be writing a Halloween story for NCIS as well as an Arwen for Saturday's episode.**

**I had a fairytale book when I was younger and the Steadfast Tin Soldier was in it. I'd completely forgotten about how much I loved the story until I was shifting through a list of stories to find one I could use. Then low and behold...**

**Thank you for the 10 reviews this chapter! Only thirteen till we have forty? Can we get this far before next chapter? PLEASE?**

**Replies:**

**lailastar: I like the analysis. Some of it may be a part of the story, some of it may not. I'd picked the Tin Soldier story cos not many people know it, as it isn't one of the main classics.**

**LadyL: Aw, thanks.**

**Julie Winchester: It will get even more so.**

**Gorgeousangel: Gwen is such a well-rounded character, I couldn't make her mean. It's part of why Arthur loves her.**

**larasmith: You will see.**

**freckled98: She has, hasn't she?**

**whitecrossgirl: I like all sorts of guilty pleasure stories as well.**

**LHC1: Aw, that's so sweet. Cheers for reading.**

**2Sam11: We will see the interaction next chapter.**

**PrincessJennifer: Yeah, there isn't enough Arwen. Cannot wait to see Gwen's reaction to you-know-who this week!**

**Semper Fi xxx**


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Arthur slammed the door behind him, the house shaking. It would not be long before the property would be condemned, so rent was cheap.

"Careful son, we don't want our home falling down," Uther folded his newspaper, placing it on the small coffee table beside the sofa.

"Hey dad," Arthur walked past him over to the tiny kitchen, reaching over to help himself over to a drink, "Find anything on the job front?"

Uther shook his head, "I looked in the paper, but they require skilled work such as builders and accountants. Not an old dod like me whom no one can get anything from. A friend of mine offered me an internship as a PA at his firm. It is for a year, but it is unpaid and we would not be able to get any funding from the government. This means you would have to work even more shifts than you do now and therefore you will struggled with your studies. You will not be like me son- you will get a good job and be clever!"

"You're clever," Arthur argued, "You just lost your way after mother's passing..."

It was true. Uther was only twenty when he had married Ygraine, his childhood sweetheart. Neither had gone to college- Ygraine had stayed at home to help with her parent's flower shop whilst Uther had stayed to earn his fortune as an entrepeunr. He had eventually set up a successful publishing firm and at the age of twenty-two, the couple decided to try to for a baby. They knew that they were young, but they were in love and thought it would be right for a child to be brought into the world.

After three years of trying, Ygraine found out that she was pregnant on her twenty-fifth birthday- the best gift in the world, in her opinion. The peaceful pregnancy was then interrupted by a life and death in one day. Falling into despair, Uther's business began to slide as his depression grew. When Arthur was a year old, he took the decision to close, not being able to hold onto a job afterward. When his son was around three, Uther was hit by a car, leaving him unable to do any physical labour or hard jobs. He could barely write and his eyesight was affected. This means he could only do menial jobs and he took a job at Leodegrance Corporation when Arthur was fourteen.

"No son, I am not clever. I should have gone to university- I probably could have gotten into a decent one like Stanford. But I chose to say and pursue a childish dream."

Arthur sighed.

"Want a drink dad?"

He was too tired to argue.

Uther shook his head as Arthur clutched his cup of blackcurrant, sipping it as he dropped down next to his father.

"So how was your day?"

"Fine," Arthur replied, "There was a fight in English between two girls who wanted to do Cinderella. Gwaine and this kid called Edwin caught it on film and are planning to upload it to YouTube later tonight. Mr. Roswell only cared when Morgana went up and chose to do it- he sent the two to the principal's office. Guinevere and I found it hilarious."

"You speak with love in your tone," Uther observed.

"This is Guinevere..." Arthur smiled dreamily, rather unlike himself.

"This is the daughter of the man who ruined this family. She's a rich girl and we live in a house that is going to collapse sooner or later. It will never be Arthur."

The blonde looked at his father sadly, "I know, but for two more years, I would like to think I could have a chance someday."

Uther shrugged, "That man ruined our livelihood. The only reason I let you go near his child is because it's for school. Other than that, I don't want you to have anything to do with her."

Arthur was slightly taken-aback by that comment.

"It was that Sandra woman who took away your employee rights, not Mr. Leodegrance himself. Gwen's got nothing to do with anything- she's just his daughter. And she's actually kind to me, unlike that boyfriend of hers and his friends. She is kind, funny, sweet and smart, okay?"

Uther shrugged, "Okay, but I'm only looking out for you. I don't want to watch your heart be broken by some businessman's cheerleading daughter."

Arthur rose, deciding to escape to his sanctuary (a.k.a bedroom) before he could say something that he would later regret entirely.

"I've got homework," he lied, "See you later."

Uther nodded vaguely before switching on the TV, flicking through the channels until he settled on an old episode of NCIS.

Arthur tottered up the stairs before going into his box of a room, shutting the door behind him. Passing his bed, he sat in front of his desk, switching on his second-hand computer.

The old piece of junk was on the brink of death and almost ten minutes had passed before Arthur could enter his password.

Finally relieved as the home screen of Google appeared, he began to think of something to do. If Gwaine had put up the YouTube, he would have mentioned it on Facebook. However, he didn't have the cheeky chappy as a friend, but he did Edwin.

It was straight after school, but Gwaine had a car to get him home quickly whereas Arthur had to walk an hour because of his broken down truck.

Quickly accessing the social media website, he scrolled down his news feed until he found Edwin's post of 'Gwaine's working on the video. Be up in a couple of hours.' This was followed by Morgana Le Fay, Mithian Nemeth and 10 others like this.

A small colour of orange was noticed out of the corner of his eye and he turned his attention towards this. When he saw that it was a friend request, he clicked it, curious to see about who wanted to add him.

His heart skipped a beat as the words 'Gwen Leodegrance,' filled the screen.

Ignoring the voices in his head telling him that it was a trick, his impulses forced him to click the accept button. He now had exactly 100 friends.

A chat box popped up on the bottom corner of the screen and his English partner's name was spread across the top. The words 'Hey Arthur,' were seen, with the type box beneath it.

'Hi,' he clicked send, deciding to himself that it was the easiest thing to reply.

'How are you?'

'Good, you?'

'Can't complain,' came the reply, 'I was wondering whether you wanted to come to my house after school tomorrow to sort out the play? I asked my dad and he said you could stay for dinner.'

Arthur bit his lip. As much as he wanted to, his father would not let him even though it was for 'academic purposes.' Would he really want his son in the home of the man who had 'ruined him?'

Then it hit him- Hunith (Merlin's mother) was visiting her hometown of Ealdor for a week, leaving his best friend in the house alone. If he lied to his dad and said that he was going to Merlin's place, then it could just work...

'Sure,' he replied, 'That sounds great.'

'We'll go home by car. How do you usually get to school?'

'Walking, cos my truck has gone has totally crazy.'

'Great,' Gwen typed back, 'You're not vegetarian or anything, are you?'

'No, I'll eat anything.'

'Awesome. Right, I have to go, my Great Aunt Mildred is visiting and she's very old and scary, so I need to be prepared.'

'Good luck with that.'

'Thanks. See ya tomorrow.'

'Ditto, bye.'

The green circle indicating that Gwen was online disappeared and Arthur immediately logged out, his head spinning. Glancing at the cell phone sitting beside him on the desk, he flipped it open and went for his number three on the speed dial.

"Hey Merlin, I need a favour."

**Hey all it is I! It's Halloween tomorrow and I am super super excited!**

**Thank you for the reviews- 8! My next goal is 50 reviews- can we get in either one or two chapters?**

**Replies:**

**lailastar: That would be a pretty cool teacher!**

**Julie Winchester: It's such an amazing fairytale! I hope it will be interesting.**

**KshMcKenzie08: Next chapter will be a HUGE development for the pair. There you are, another tease.**

**larasmith: Watch out for next chapter!**

**freckled98: And cheers for you for reviewing.**

**whitecrossgirl: That's okay, you do some of the best Merlin stories.**

**Lc4evs: Thanks so much! Merlin will play a bigger part later in the stories, where he will be a very instrumental part. He won't be in next chapter, but will get a bigger character development in Chapter 7 and onward.**

**Semper Fi xxx**

**P.S I hope you have an excellent Halloween!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

At the end of the day, Arthur had gone from nervous to terrified. Leaning against the flagpole, he awaited Gwen.

He wondered what car she drove- maybe a Lexus? If she had an expensive car, she probably would bring a less costly one to school in order to avoid it getting damaged. His thoughts were taken from him as the said girl skipped over, oblivious to his fears.

"Hey Arthur, ready to go?"

He nodded and straightened from his slouched position, falling into a stride with her. Passing some nice cars, he wondered when they were to stop. All of a sudden, Gwen jumped off the curb and strode purposefully over to an...

"Audi TT Roadster!" Arthur couldn't believe his eyes, "You have one of the best cars in the damn universe! Well, one of the most-overlooked anyway."

Gwen shrugged.

"It's a fantastic car," she moved her hands over the smooth red paintwork, "One of the best, but definitely not THE best."

"What is the best then?"

"Most definitely the Aston Martin DB5, closely followed by the DBS for practicality. It also takes the cake as the top Bond vehicle (the DB5, I mean)- it's even better than the Lotus in 'The Spy Who Loved Me.' And that was pretty cool!"

Arthur was pretty impressed- he knew several girls who knew their cars but he hadn't expected Gwen of all people to know her stuff. Most of his peers just knew the basic names like Mercedes-Benz and Ford.

"Best Bond film?"

"Goldfinger- best plot and the debut appearance of the car. What is your favourite?"

" , because it was the first in the series, and the first is usually the best. However, that is not the case for Harry Potter."

Gwen mumbled in agreement.

"Favourite Bond?"

"I would have to say Timothy Dalton," Arthur proclaimed as he slipped into the vehicle, "And for yours I am going to guess Pierce Brosnan."

Gwen wrinkled her nose.

"Nope, he was the worst. Good actor, but still the worst. My favourite, by far, is Sean Connery!"

Arthur nodded as Gwen started the ignition, pushing them outside of the gates. If it were not for the speed of her driving, he probably would have noticed the death-glare Lancelot would have shot him as he got onto his motorbike.

A random song played softly on the radio, a song unknown to Arthur. However, his companion must have liked it as she immediately sang it under her breath (or so she thought).

He listened, entranced. She hit all the right notes and intoned all the correct words without hesitation, all whilst still driving with perfect precision. Her voice was by no means strong, but it was sweet and melodic, kind of like a child performer but with more maturity.

The piece soon finished and the male presenter enthusiastically announced it as 'Begin Again,' Taylor Swift's second release from her album _Red._ He noticed the huge grin Gwen had on her face.

"Taylor Swift is my favourite singer," she smiled as she hit the main road (not literally, of course), "Her songs are all amazing and the new album is so brilliant."

"You have a beautiful voice."

Gwen blushed, suddenly realising that she had done all of that in front of Arthur, "Thanks, I guess."

"You're welcome," Arthur replied, "I guess that you like the song- you knew all the words."

"Like I said, she's my favourite singer."

She turned into a side road and he immediately realised where he was- Westfield Drive.

In Camelot, Westfield Drive was the most prominent road where the rich and fabulous lived. Just down the road from the country club, no house was the same- they were all chosen from foundation to furniture by the owners. Mercedes, Audis and other luxury cars could be seen in the drives as gardeners raked the lawns and chauffeurs let their clients inside the automobiles.

He could barely believe that he was here.

It was not long before they reached the twenty-fifth house of the street.

Arthur was in awe of its dominant presence.

It was a pure white with grey gravel in the front drive, with perfectly-done green lawns on either side of the path leading up to the door. On either side of the house, were three garages with caramel coloured doors and hanging baskets between them. The house itself was seemingly vast, a lessened version of the White house, one could say.

"Wow," Arthur whispered, your place is amazing.

"Thanks," Gwen replied, "Hey, could you open the glove box and pass me the control inside it please? I need it to open the gate."

Arthur fumbled in the compartment until he found the small block of silver with a red button on it. Passing it to Gwen, who thanked him briefly; he watched as she rolled down the window and placed her hand out it, clicking the button.

As if on cue, the dark entrance slid to the side and the driver continued on, pressing the button again as she reached the middle garage on the left-hand side of the house (well, what was left to them). She slid the car into the small room and promptly turned off the engine.

"Ready?"

"Ready," Arthur confirmed as they both exited the automobile. Closing the door behind her as she left, Gwen led her friend to the main entrance.

"I'm home Rosita!" she called as he shuffled in nervously, taking in the grandeur. There was a huge marble staircase at the side, with a massive red carpet and several statues dotted around. Many doors led off into other areas.

As if on cue, a round woman wearing a uniform identical to those in Maid in Manhattan exited from the first room on the left. Her hair was jet black and curly, down to her shoulders and her chocolate eyes gave off a warm, kind look.

"Good afternoon Gwen," she had a Hispanic accent, "How was your day?"

"Fine thank you Rosita," the cheerleader replied politely, "This is Arthur, the boy I was telling you about. Arthur, this is Rosita Duarte, our housekeeper."

"Nice to meet you," he took a hand out from his pocket and offered it to the woman hesitantly.

Rosita beamed and shook it enthusiastically, "Ooh, what a polite young man- that Lancelot looked at me as if I were dirt, I tell you. And this one here is much better looking than your male friend, I tell you."

Gwen blushed scarlet as Arthur tried to maintain a straight face, but was secretly doing a happy dance inside.

"Okay, we're going to be upstairs doing our English assignment."

"Is that what you kids call it these days?" Rosita winked, "I am going to be starting dinner- we're having it early because your father has a meeting later and would rather have dinner with you."

"Okay, thanks," Gwen nodded before beckoning to a scared Arthur, who followed her up the staircase. The house-keeper gave them a lingering look before disappearing into the kitchen.

They walked in silence for a moment as the girl passed the first floor, stepping up to the second.

"Rosita's only teasing, you know," Gwen eventually spoke, "She doesn't like Lancelot at all and you gave a good first impression."

"She seems...interesting," Arthur struggled to find the right word, "No, that sounds cruel."

"Rosita has been in our service for as long as I can remember- she has always been such a help, like my second mother, I could say. I suppose it's quite cliché to have a Hispanic staff member."

"I suppose," he told her as he followed her down a corridor. She stopped right at the end, and opened the door, ushering him in.

Her room was pretty amazing and also pretty huge. It was a pale pink with a king-sized bed which had quilts which matched the wallpaper. A huge flat screen was hung above the crackling fireplace. Over in the corner was a collage, full of photos of friends and family. A small archway showed a walk-in-wardrobe, with what looked like lots of clothes. Two other doors were seen at the right side.

"Make yourself at home," Gwen walked over to the collection of outfits, "I'm going to grab some clothes and get ready in the bathroom. I've got my iPod over there- put some tunes on if there is something you like."

"Thanks," Arthur replied vaguely as the young woman grabbed the cut off-blouse he'd seen her wear at the restaurant and some pale blue boot-cut jeans.

As she moved into the next room, he took the touch-screen in his hands and slid to unlock it. Going onto the music section, he scrolled through the first list that came up.

Mostly chart music, stuff that he'd expect that she'd like. He wasn't surprised to see Taylor Swift on there, along with the likes of that English bloke Ed Sheeran, One Direction and Rihanna. However, he was pleasantly shocked to see Queen, Muse and some other low-key things that most students at school didn't listen to. He enjoyed seeing Bon Jovi as well- a band that was a secret pleasure of his. He would bet good money that Lancelot had probably never even heard of.

Gwen entered again, her hair falling down her back. In Arthur's opinion, she looked beautiful.

"Hey," he waved the iPod in the air, "You have some pretty amazing taste in music, barring the usual chart stuff. Queen and Bon Jovi are my two favourite bands."

Gwen shrugged and jumped into a sitting position on the bed, "I don't usually share my iPod with my friends, apart from Morgana or occasionally Elena and Freya. It's not right for me to like that kind of thing."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, being in the 'popular crowd' means I have to conform to the right standards."

Arthur frowned, a sure indicator that he wanted her to continue.

"Music-wise, I have to listen to the right artists- chart, of course," she sighed, "Clothes, I have to look stylish- brand wise, it must be Hollister, Abercrombie and Fitch, that kind of thing. With TV, it doesn't really matter too much but it is preferred that I watch things like Gossip Girl. Movies- I should only like particular classics and rom-coms, though I actually prefer old horror like The Exorcist. If anyone who I am friends with dates outside the social circle, they are either shunned, demoted or the blame can be pinned on the person with the lower status- kind of like in olden times. A medieval practice- well, that's my opinion anyway."

She paused before continuing.

"It's like I'm trapped in an endless cycle of expectations. I have to go to the right parties, date the right guys. I am expected to be the perfect model of the rules- the person that one goes to if they are unsure about what to do in a certain situation."

Trailing off, she quickly tried to change the mood.

"Would you date outside your group?" Arthur didn't miss a beat.

Gwen nodded, sure of herself, "Yes, even if it risked my status. Not that I care anyway, being popular isn't important to me. I'd rather have true friends, a boyfriend I truly cared about and good grades. Oh, and my spot in the squad. I love cheerleading for more than its social benefits."

Arthur smiled sadly as he selected shuffle on the Queen selection, with 'Don't Stop Me Now,' filling the room loudly.

"Shall we get on with the project?" Gwen suggested, "I have an idea for the play."

"Let's hear it."

"As you know, the Tin Soldier cannot dance but that is the ballerina's main purpose. Maybe, in this sequence, he can and he moves with her. However, just before the little sister can force them to kiss, she and her brother are called away for supper."

"That is a great idea," Arthur yearned for an excuse to be close to Gwen, "We could practice if you like. Do you have any songs that we could dance to?"

Gwen paused the piece playing and typed something into the search box.

"Somewhere Only We Know," she announced.

"Original by Keane or the Glee version?" he had heard both on the radio a couple of days ago in a cover comparison special.

"I have both but I think the original."

"Agreed," Arthur nodded, "What kind of dance?"

"Slow-dance," Gwen replied without blinking. She pressed play and stood up, going over to the middle of the floor. Arthur slipped off the bed and finished in front of her, placing one hand on her waist and the other in one of hers. Her spare palm rested on his shoulder. It seemed natural almost- fitting like the pieces of a puzzle.

"Have you done this before Guinevere?" Arthur asked, "I can't say I have."

"Only if you count me standing on my father's feet as a five year-old with my brother and mother clapping along to the beat."

"I suppose that counts."

"Shall we just move around to the beat? I would say prance, but that does not sound entirely masculine."

"Sure," Arthur shrugged as they slowly began.

They swayed across the room, blue orbs meeting brown. Their footsteps were as light as a feather, barely tickling the floor.

The pair continued until the song finished.

"Shall we do the almost kiss?" Gwen asked lightly, "We should go to about a centimetre before stopping."

Arthur was already on the case, his lips going closer to hers. Standing on her tiptoes to 'receive' him, she mentally prepared herself.

They eventually met a centimetre, but they succumbed to the temptation to pass it. The millimetres flew by, until only one remained.

'Here it comes,' Arthur's heart beat against his ribcage, 'I am going to kiss Guinevere Leodegrance.'

"DINNER IS READY!" Rosita's voice filled the air.

They jumped apart, shocked at the proceedings. Blushing heavily, Gwen did not meet Arthur's eyes.

"Shall we, erm, get going?" she whispered. He nodded, following her out of the door.

-BOY NEXT DOOR-

"Gwen," Tom greeted his daughter, kissing both her cheeks, "How are you?"

"I'm fine daddy," she smiled, "This is Arthur, my English partner." She moved to the side as her friend offered a hand, to which Tom accepted.

"It is a pleasure to meet you sir," his voice was a little shaky, "Guinevere has told me great things. She is obviously very proud of you."

'Good start,' Gwen thought, forcing a smile, 'I haven't talked about him that much, but I am proud of him, so I guess that works."

"I have heard excellent things about you too," the elder Leodegrance released the shake, "And please, call me Tom."

He suddenly froze, staring at Arthur curiously.

"Have we met before? I recognise you from somewhere, but I can't think where."

"I am not sure."

Gwen's head spun- she wasn't entirely sure if her father would be fine with Arthur if he knew his line of work or his father.

"Ah- I know! You served Gwen and I at the country club restaurant the other day," Tom smiled in recognition, "I like young men who go out and work- not like that Lancelot boy." He shuddered at the thought of his daughter's boyfriend.

"Shall we sit down?" said girl suggested.

"Good idea," Tom clapped his hands as he sat at the head of the table, Gwen on his left and Arthur on his right.

Rosita appeared, juggling three plates in both hands in a rather impressive manner. Placing the lasagne in front of the trio, she accepted their thanks gratefully before rushing off, not before smirking at the sight of Arthur and Gwen.

They began eating, an awkward silence ensured.

"So Arthur, what do your parents do?" Tom asked.

"My mother passed away during my birth but my father works as a PA at a publishing firm."

That wasn't technically a lie- his father had been offered the job. He was merely stretching the truth.

"Oh, I'm sorry," Tom apologised, "I know what it's like to lose a wife and mother to my children."

"I can barely remember, so it is not as hard as it must be for yourself, Guinevere and Elyan," Arthur tried to be modest, "But I do miss her and often wonder what it would have been like if I had grown up with her around."

There was more uneasiness in the air.

"So, is there anything you want to do after school?"

"Daddy, stop interrogating Arthur," Gwen admonished, "You're making him uncomfortable."

"No, I'm just trying to make conversation," Tom waved a hand.

"I'd like to start my own business or become an entrepeunr," Arthur told him, "Business studies is my favourite subject at school."

"Just like Gwen," he beamed at his daughter, "She'll do business at an Ivy League before joining my firm, won't you sweetheart?"

She just nodded, squirming slightly. She hadn't dared told her dad that she didn't want to work for him- she actually wanted to start a charity as well as becoming a writer.

"How's the project coming along?"

"Fine," Gwen finally spoke, "We've pretty much figured out the scene and given it a run through. I was thinking that we could make a recording for the beginning and end of the sequence to portray the children." She turned to Arthur as she said that.

He nodded, "Another great idea."

The rest of the meal was filled with general small talk from each end. As everything was finishing up, Tom started another stretch of conversation.

"Tell me Arthur, do you like Lancelot?"

Gwen spluttered slightly as the blonde almost choked on his drink.

"I d...don't really know him," Arthur lied. He was the only person he truly hated and despised, but it seemed like he made Gwen happy, which was important to him.

"Hm," Tom raised an eyebrow as Rosita came to collect the plates.

"So, what's for dessert?" Gwen grinned brightly.

-BOY NEXT DOOR-

The night soon came to a close as Gwen joined Arthur at her gate.

"Are you sure you don't want a lift home?" she asked as they walked together, "It is dark and I am pretty sure that it is going to rain soon."

"I only live five minutes away, it really wouldn't be worth it," Arthur lied. It was actually a half-hour walk in the opposite direction but considering he walked an hour each way to and from school, it wasn't really big. He was keen on Gwen seeing his house either.

"Okay," she smiled, "It was really nice having you over- it was better than having Lancelot over, if I'm honest. Just don't tell him I said that."

"I won't," he promised, "Thanks for a great night- I haven't really had this much fun with someone who isn't Merlin for so long."

Gwen smiled as she pressed the button to open the gates.

"I guess this is goodbye."

"Yes, I suppose it is."

"Well, bye then," Gwen tried to not sound as awkward as she felt.

"Bye Guinevere," Arthur impulsively kissed her on the cheek.

She watched as he strode out of the drive, turning the corner.

Then a thought struck her.

Was she falling for Arthur Pendragon?

**So that was the development- not exactly huge, but pretty big in my opinion. I disclaim anything referenced (there were a lot of pop culture references in this).**

**I was watching NCIS earlier and they insulted Justin Bieber. That made me so happy.**

**Thank you for the reviews- 11! 46 overall, with 6 favourites and 16 follows. Cheers to you guys as well!**

**Quick tease: Next chapter and the one after will make Lancelot-haters VERY happy. Just saying. I will be writing teases for the next chapter on each.**

**Replies:**

**2Sam11: Thanks! And hopefully it will.**

**Guenevere92: Well I hope that was interesting for you.**

**Julie Winchester: I'm glad that you are enjoying this.**

**freckled98: I feel sorry for him too.**

**larasmith: It is Uther we're talking about- he holds his grudges.**

**bandeapix: He will also be a saviour as well as a link. **

**Guest: I love him usually, but he just worked as a villain.**

**BagginsPotterPensieve: Hope this lived up to your expectations!**

**whitecrossgirl: I don't think Arthur is friend-zoned anymore!**

**cdnndc: Thanks. I hope you will enjoy it in chapters to come.**

**lailastar: Thanks.**

**Semper Fi xxx**


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

"So what do you think I should do? I mean, Gladys is so grumpy..."

Arthur blinked, looking round in a confused manner. He finally snapped back to reality as he felt Merlin's twinkling eyes bearing into his face, wondering what was running through his friend's usually sane mind.

"What's up with you?" the dark-haired teenager frowned, "If you dare say that you are thinking about Gwen, I will not hesitate to kick your ass."

Arthur raised an eyebrow.

"No seriously, what's up with you?"

The blonde took a deep breath as he tugged his friend and pulled him over to a small break between two rows of lockers. He watched a group of football team members walk past and did not stop staring until they had rounded the corner. Satisfied that they had gone, he turned to Merlin.

"I almost kissed Guinevere last night," he admitted.

Several seconds of very awkward silence followed as the two had a staring match, still not uttering a word. Finally succumbing to his curiosity, Merlin sighed.

"What happened?"

He didn't sound too angry or annoyed, which was a great relief for Arthur.

"We were practising for the play and we had to almost kiss, but agreed to stop at a centimetre. However, we passed this limit."

"Then what happened?" Merlin's eyes were wide and his voice sounded like an excited young schoolboy wanting to find out about his best friend starting an act of a rebellious nature.

"Her housekeeper called us down for dinner and we broke apart- no more was said," Arthur sighed, "And later that night, when I was leaving, I pecked her on the cheek. I didn't really know how she reacted because I left literally a second after doing it."

Merlin chuckled under his breath.

"Something funny?"

"I owe my mom twenty bucks," he suddenly groaned in realisation of the fact that it wasn't at all hilarious, "She said that you would either almost kiss or actually kiss Gwen by the time the year was out, but I disagreed. I would lie but that woman reads me like a book!"

Arthur smirked.

"Shall we go to lunch?" he asked, "I'm starving!"

His stomach then proved evidence of this, rumbling quite loudly.

"Come on then," Merlin swerved straight into the middle corridor and Arthur fell into a step with him. The halls were practically empty, as everybody was in the cafeteria. The only people in sight were a blonde freshman cheerleader jogging in front of them and a sophomore staring intently at his phone.

They arrived in the bustling food room, not a spare seat in sight. Ignoring this, they joined the practically non-existent queue.

After grabbing the tuna surprise, he took the last bottle of apple juice and approached the dinner lady.

"Chocolate concrete or flapjack love?" she asked in a croaky voice.

"Erm, I think I'll have a flapjack please," he smiled politely as she handed him one. Merlin followed him, placing the chocolate concrete down on his tray.

"I don't know how you can have that," he wrinkled his nose, "It's as dry as a bone."

Arthur shrugged as his eagle-sight spotted a table right in the back corner. Rushing over to it before anybody else could get there; they placed their trays down and slipped into the seats. They looked around cautiously, checking to see who was in the vicinity. It was not too bad today- some regular students, the computer club and some nicer members of the football team- Gwaine, Leon and Percival Hopper.

"You know that it's highly unlikely that she'll act on it," Merlin shoved some of her meal his mouth hungrily, "She and Lancelot are expected to be together, even if she doesn't like him. You said that her family hate him, but it's just how it goes."

Arthur sighed as he swigged some of his drink.

"I am truly sorry, but there is pretty much no hope of you two being together. If by some miracle she broke up with Lancelot, she would probably move onto one of the basketball team or some other popular. If you two were together, that would be really great. I would be happy for you."

"Except you're not happy, because the force of nature is not shifted."

"Exactly."

There was more silence as they ate slowly, watching the raindrops throw themselves onto the huge windows. Shuddering slightly at the cold weather, several more scholars moved themselves away from the draft.

"There are some seats here guys!" a familiar voice came in the air.

"Hey Arthur, Merlin. Are we alright to sit here?" Gwen smiled at him, her tray laden with a good bit of food. Behind her stood Morgana; Elena; Freya; Mordred; Helios and finally Lancelot.

"S...S...Sure," stuttered Arthur.

Grinning, the cheerleader sat to his right with Morgana, Elena and Freya on her side. Next to Merlin, Mordred shuffled down with Lancelot beside him and Helios rounding the table off.

Merlin's eyes looked like they were going to fall out of their sockets. He never thought in a million years that he would be sitting with the 'cool' kids. Eyeing Freya shyly, he continued eating his meal whilst blushing slightly.

"Oh, that reminds me of something," Gwen grabbed her stylish backpack and pulled it upright, "A few of the laces in your shoes fell out- I thought that you may have needed it back." She opened it up and pulled out a handful of white strings. Passing them to Arthur, he thanked her politely.

"You went to her house, didn't you?" Lancelot tried to hide the bitterness in his tone, "How did that turn out exactly?"

"It went...fine," Arthur replied apprehensively (most of Lancelot's words to him started with 'you suck' or 'what the hell are you doing?'), "I enjoyed Guinevere's company."

"Guinevere?" Helios raised an eyebrow, "You call her Guinevere?"

"She hates being called that," Lancelot snapped at the blonde, "Don't you babe?"

Gwen waited until her bite of shepherd's pie had been digested.

"Actually, I think it is rather nice that somebody calls me that. I like that change," she corrected her boyfriend, beaming at Arthur.

The teenager smirked, fighting the temptation to punch the air in jubilation. He loved it when Lancelot was wrong and he was right about that certain fact.

The football captain attempted to put it behind him, forcing a false grin. Helios and Mordred exchanged worried glances, but did not dwell anymore on the matter.

"So, have you guys got dates to Homecoming?" Freya asked the two boys who were quite shocked that she had just spoken to them.

Noticing Merlin blushing even more, Arthur chose to answer.

"No, we're probably going to go stag."

"Now that's a surprise," Lancelot muttered under his breath.

Elena and Morgana simultaneously glared at him.

Gwen, who had been too busy with her meal, did not hear the statement so had no time to admonish him for it.

"Have you ladies got anyone to attend the ball with?" Merlin suddenly wondered, quite boldly in most opinions. Arthur smiled slightly as he started on his flapjack. Mordred stared at Morgana longingly, which she did not notice.

"Well, obviously Lancelot and I are going to be attending together," Gwen beamed at her boyfriend, who nodded back.

"Elena's admiring Percival, but she won't admit it," Freya added, "But Morgana and I have not been asked yet. But, it's not for a couple of weeks so there is still time."

Merlin inwardly grinned as Elena turned red.

"I've been plotting to get Gwaine and Sefa together," the dark-haired cheerleader added, "Whenever we all work together in English, he stumbles over his words when they are talking. She's just naturally shy."

She shrugged as she continued her delicious-looking lasagne.

"I'm sure you can ask somebody," Gwen told Arthur, "I mean, you'll find somebody who would be more than delighted to spend time with you. What about Mithian- she hasn't been asked yet?"

"No, I think she's going with Edwin actually," Helios commented.

"Well, that's a shame. I'm sure you'll find somebody else." She did not seem too sad about it, which made Lancelot a little bit annoyed.

"Like anybody would go with him," he rudely glared at his rival, before laughing along with Helios. Not really wanting to go along with it, Mordred gave a weak smile.

"That's quite enough," Gwen's tone was filled with darkness, "You don't know Arthur like I do- he will be able to find somebody."

Lancelot looked a little taken aback. Morgana and Elena exchanged smirks.

"To be fair Gwen, he's a bit of a loser. No-one will want to tarnish their street-cred by going to Homecoming with him, will they?"

"Actually, if I were not going with you, I would be quite happy to go with Arthur if that was okay with him."

There was a low whistle from Helios. Arthur and Mordred shifted uncomfortably whilst Merlin just stared at the ground. The rest of the girls were pretty happy with the events.

"Come off it Gwen, you wouldn't want to go with anybody else, especially with that freak. He's just going to go all poor and idiotic in the future. Just like his useless father."

It was Arthur's turn to be angry.

"Do not say a word against my father," he replied, his fists clenched, "He is ten times the man you are."

Lancelot just smirked, sipping his drink. He thought he'd won.

"You just think you're superior to everybody, don't you?"

Choking on his Coke, he spluttered slightly as Helios thumped him on the back. He stared at Gwen in shock- the usually quiet teenager who avoided confrontation had just stood up to him.

"Excuse me?" He must have misheard.

"You just think that you can say whatever you like to people and they'll lap it up without complaint, Frankly Lancelot, I'm not just sick of your words, I'm sick of YOU!"

The whole cafeteria went deathly silent as they watched the head cheerleader finally lash out at her boyfriend, who was not very liked.

"You pick on EVERYBODY whom you believe to be inferior. Chess club, computer club, the Goths- just because they don't fit in your ideal world. You pick on Arthur because you're jealous, you see him as a threat. He cares about his studies and is kind to people."

Lancelot couldn't even speak- he was far too shocked to be able to do that function.

"B...B...But..." he eventually started.

Gwen shook her head.

"We are done," she whispered under her breath.

"Excuse me?" Lancelot definitely thought he had misheard that.

"We are done," she boldly stated, "I am finished with you as a boyfriend and I never want to see you again. You make me SICK!"

"You won't last a day without me," the teenager replied cockily.

"Watch me," Gwen retorted.

And with that, the remainder of her drink found itself on Lancelot's head.

**I think you guys will be happy with that. I'm back to school on Monday so chapters may be delayed a little, but my primary focus will always be this story (along with my work, of course).**

**Merlin tonight- yay! I read what next week is about- OMG it looks amazing! I won't say what happens, because you will see in the promo for next time.**

**Teaser: Next chapter will be another step in the right direction for Arwen.**

**Thank you for the reviews- 56!**

**Replies:**

**gorgeousangel: You will see about that later on in the story.**

**sweet-dreams-always: Love the name!**

**Julie Winchester: And there will be one next chapter.**

**pwsm88: Thanks :D**

**KshMcKenzie08: I do like him, I just thought he would be the ideal villain. Also, I think we need a bit of redemption for what his shade did (even thought it wasn't his fault)!**

**2Sam11: It seems she likes him more.**

**whitecrossgirl: Hopefully not. Your stories are getting even more brilliant.**

**larasmith: I think your last question was answered.**

**lailastar: I'm a massive sucker for happy endings too. You will see how everybody gets along.**

**For those who wanted Merlin, he will be getting more of a role. I hope you were happy that he had a bigger involvement in this chapter and that he may have someone to take an interest in.**

**Semper Fi xxx**


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Arthur walked through the corridors, frowning as his peers turned to him, pointing, whispering and in the case of some, talking loudly as though he were deaf.

"I heard that Gwen fancies him. Probably crap- she wouldn't date below her station."

"I think it's great that she dumped Lancelot- he is so horrible."

"That kid is a loser; I don't know why he tries."

Sighing, he looked around for Merlin, but could not see him. His friend had been forced to go to school early for an unknown reason, so he'd to walk to school for an hour with only an iPod and his phone as company. The two were not the most exciting companions.

A couple of Gwen's cheerleader friends round the corner. Upon his sight, they began giggling furiously as they passed him. A short brunette glanced at him and promptly cackled like a kookaburra, which did not seem to infuriate her fellow squad. Rolling his eyes, he continued on, trying to remain oblivious to the gossipers, who didn't even know his name. Right now he was a curiousity, a new zoo exhibit whom no-one had noticed before, but he would soon just be a passing fad.

"Clotpole!"

He smirked at the sight of his best friend almost tripping over in haste to get to him. Several other students also found this matter quite hilarious.

"What's up with you?" Arthur chuckled slightly.

Merlin leant on his friend for support, trying to catch his uneven breath.

"Cat got your tongue, mate?"

The dark-haired teenager shook his head, "I wanted to talk to you. The whole video of Gwen standing up to Lancelot has spread around the school like wildfire and I wouldn't be surprised if it's gone viral by tonight. Everyone's talking about it, about you. Everyone knows your name, for the wrong reason- I think a few 'supporters' are pretty mad. And Lancelot has friends in high places."

Arthur shrugged, "It's just how high school goes. At least we aren't invisible anymore- we won't be shoved in the hallways as if we cannot be seen."

Merlin looked defeated, "They will see us as the dirt of the popularity spectrum. That is a lot worse than being invisible. I honestly don't know how you can be so calm about this!"

"We've always been losers, so it's practically no different. Except this time it will only be for a short time- we won't be the talk of the school for the rest of our time here."

"You're honestly okay with this?"

Arthur nodded pathetically as they reached their lockers.

"Mr. Wizard!"

Merlin whirled around to see Mrs. Hall staring at him from the end of the hall, hands on hips, not looking particularly impressed.

"I need to see you about your essay!" she called, her prune lips sagging downwards as she closed her mouth, "NO!"

It was about the lateness and quality- she'd requested two A4 sides, but had only got one and a quarter. He was about to be in for a hard time.

"Good luck, mate," Arthur patted him in the back.

"Thanks man," Merlin muttered as he followed the miserly middle-aged educator around the corner. Feeling sorry for his best friend, he turned back to the huge metal door and opened it, the hinges creaking slightly due to the lack of oil. Groaning at the fact that he had Physics first period, he heaved the heavy textbook out, before realising he should have done that last.

Putting it back, he began to arrange his hardbacks.

"Morning Arthur."

He half-turned to Gwen with her back leant against Merlin's locker, looking decidedly distant.

"Guinevere," he smiled slightly before realising that she didn't look too happy, "What a nice surprise. How are you? Oh wait, I'm guessing not too well."

She nodded, frowning.

"I'm glad I got rid of Lancelot, but I kind of feel a bit...overwhelmed. I'm expected to have a date to homecoming, but I don't now. Everyone was staring at me like I was some kind of freak, they were whispering about what I'd done. I don't know whether I'm glad that it is a big event, or not. It's the first time I feel like I'm hated."

Arthur felt suddenly angry. He didn't mind being talked about, but Gwen had been used to people being nice to her all of her life. One decision and her name was on everybody's lips.

"Nobody hates you Guinevere," he told her, "This is a change for them- they aren't used to someone breaking the status quo. It's not you, it's what's happened. If you think they hate you, then they'll think that your spirit has been broken. Just ignore what they say and it will go away, I promise."

"I guess you're right," she sighed.

The tone seemed slightly inviting to him.

"There's something else, isn't there?"

Gwen nodded.

"What's up?" he asked sympathetically.

She shook her head, "It's nothing Arthur, I don't want to be a pain."

"Guinevere," his tone was forced, firm.

Turning red, she looked away from him, embarrassed. Taking a deep breath, she begun.

"I told my father the truth, that I didn't want to join his business and that I want to start my own charity as well as becoming a writer."

"How'd he take it?"

She sounded saddened.

"Not very well. For the first few moments, he didn't talk and then he started to open his mouth, like he wanted to say something, but said nothing at all. Father just left the room and I didn't see him for the rest of the morning. He'd left the house before I'd gone this morning. I just thought he would be understanding, considering that he's always been supportive of my dreams. I'd been telling the truth all day, I wanted it to all come out!"

The look on her face broke his heart.

She looked at a border between scared and confused. She blinked at him, reminiscent of a lost puppy kicked in the rain.

"Come here Guinevere," he opened his arms out to here.

She stepped into them as he held her close, more like a warm embrace than a hug. She seemed too full of emotion to actually cry.

"I feel so stupid," she whispered, slightly muffled into his shirt.

Coming over the shock of holding Gwen in his arms, he answered with a, "You aren't, you've done the right thing." He ignored the stares of students, who were all wondering what was happening.

She shuffled a bit, indicating that she wanted to be released. He let her go, albeit reluctantly.

"Thanks," she looked kind of sad, "I feel better, but to be honest, I don't want to be paranoid about everyone gossiping about me. I should be strong about it, but with the past few days..."

She trailed off.

"You're worried about homecoming, aren't you?"

She nodded, "I could go with my friends, like in one big group, but they're all planning on going with somebody so I would feel like the odd one out."

"We could go together."

There was a deadly silence as Arthur mentally kicked himself. Why did he just have to suggest that when Gwen was obviously not in the best mood.

"I mean, we both haven't got anyone whom we could with and I thought it would be nice. But if you don't want to, it's fine, I mean, it was only a suggestion..." he faltered, trying to regain confidence.

"Sure, why not?"

"Okay, that's cool...wait, did you just say yes?" a huge grin spread on his face, unable to stop it.

She nodded, also smiling, "Please don't just think that you're a rebound to get over Lancelot, I stand by what I said yesterday- I would go with you as a date."

His head was spinning- Gwen had just accepted to go with him as a date to a home-coming. If he was alone and he was actually physically able, he would probably cartwheel down the hall in sheer happiness.

"Wait a second, don't you mind what people are going to say about this?"

"Can we not tell anybody about this? You can tell Merlin, but I think we should keep it until a quiet level until the night. Maybe it will keep the noise down, I don't know."

Arthur nodded, "Good idea. Is there anyone you would like to tell? If it's okay, I would like to tell my father." He wasn't sure of the idea, but it was only fair to be honest with his father. Uther probably wouldn't be too open-minded on the idea, but he really couldn't stop his son.

"I suppose Morgana, as well as my father and Rosita. They'd find out anyway."

She bit her lip, as if she wanted to say more but couldn't.

"Who else?"

"No-one."

Arthur raised his eyebrow, "Really?"

"Maybe Elena and Freya," she admitted quietly.

"To be honest, that's completely fine with me as long as they don't tell anybody about it. I can see that you trust them, so it will be okay."

Gwen breathed in relief.

"Thanks," she grinned, "You're being so understanding."

"Well, understanding is my middle name. Actually, it's James but that's practically the same thing," he replied, laughing.

She smiled as the five-minute warning bell sounded.

"I'll see you in English."

He smiled as she turned away.

"Guinevere, wait a second."

She turned to him, expecting something completely different to what he was to say.

"Thank you for yesterday, for defending me against Lancelot. I was really happy; no one has ever done that before. You don't know how much it means to me."

Gwen beamed, "No need to thank me, I was just stating the obvious."

He watched as she skipped away, obviously not as on cloud nine as her date was.

Things were finally going his way.

**Hey guys, it's me! Buzzing for Merlin and listening to JLS's new album Evolution, Deluxe Edition (not boasting, but genuinely happy about it).**

**Thank you all for your super-mega-foxy-awesome hot reviews :D I got 10 last chapter, but 8 this time and 21 follows. Reviews from those people please?**

**Replies:**

**tentsubasa: I actually adore Lancelot in the series and hate Uther, but I like mixing roles around. Lance has been Gwen's only major love interest apart from Arthur so I kinda had to use him and didn't want to use many OCs. And no- no Mordred or Morgana. I just want to make it clear that it ISN'T going to happen. I just want Mordred to have a bit of puppy love.**

**Julie Winchester: YEAH!**

**LadyL: Aw, thanks so much!**

**lailastar: Thanks, it's been going well so far!**

**freckled98: She so does!**

**larasmith: A lot of questions, I'm sure the answers will come soon.**

**whitecrossgirl: Best AVPM scene EVER! Draco is the best character in the musical series but my favourite in the actual series is Dobby with Ginny as a close second!**

**Semper Fi xxx**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

"Are you actually freaking kidding me Freya?" Elena raised an eyebrow at her friend's choice of a puffy pink dress with ruffled sleeves and waves simmering down the huge skirt.

"It's not actually that bad!" the dark-haired teenager argued, distressed, "It's just a little…extravagant. Nothing wrong with that!"

"It will eat you alive Freya," Morgana drawled as she leant on one of the rails, "Seriously, it's hideous. Now, what do you think of this little number?" She held up a seriously short, dark blue bodycon which was strapless and no hope of support.

Gwen was horrified, "That thing is the tiniest outfit I've ever seen! It barely covers your...area."

She shrugged lightly as she placed it back with the others.

Rolling her eyes, the head cheerleader examined the tea-length section but found none of them to be of her taste, so she moved on to the full-length gowns. She had already decided onto purple, lilac or lavender as those colours were always suited to her.

"Can I help you with anything ma'am?" a twenty-something store clerk approached, looking nervously-excited. She knew who this was and if she could get a purchase from the daughter of the richest guy in town and her friends, then a promotion could be coming her way.

"I'm looking for a homecoming dress," Gwen placed a spare strand of hair to the side, "I'm running for Queen so I need something with a little...pizzazz."

The blonde, with the name tag of 'Lindsay,' beamed, "Of course, ma'am. I can see that you are looking mostly at our purple dresses, so I am guessing that is what you want to wear. I would recommend a strapless outfit, nothing too neon. Floor-length, of course."

"Of course," Gwen finished.

Lindsay turned to the rack and began ripping dresses from the row, throwing it in Gwen's direction, who struggled to catch them. Morgana, Elena and Freya watched from behind, all wearing identical smirks.

"Do you think those would do or would you like me to help you pick out more?"

"I t...t...think that's enough," she mumbled, her face covered by various fabrics.

"Great!" Lindsay clapped her perfectly-manicured hands, jumping up and down, "Let's go try some on!"

The others burst out laughing as a scared Gwen turned to them, a look of panic on her face as the assistant chatted along, oblivious to the fearful teen.

This was going to be a very, very long shopping trip.

-BOY NEXT DOOR-

Four very flustered young women plonked themselves down onto four plush seats in the mall Starbucks, each clutching a warm cup of coffee.

Morgana sipped a Black Eye, a strong tasting beverage with a double shot of espresso.

Elena chose a soft No-Fat Latte, with extra-warm milk.

Freya had the chocolaty mocha, only with a little coffee.

Gwen picked a frothy Cappuccino, enjoying its flavour.

"Ladies, it's time for the big reveal," Morgana grinned, "It is time to reveal who you are going to the dance with. Elena- go!"

The blonde looked moderately startled as all eyes swizzled over to her. She blushed slightly and began to stutter until a name actually popped out of her mouth.

"P...P...Percival," she turned an even darker shade of scarlet as she bit into the choc-chip cookie. The others beamed and she found herself pulled into a deep hug by Freya. Squirming her way out of it, the tomboy turned her attentions to her other two friends.

"How and when?!" Gwen prompted, "Details please!"

"Well, he kind of...cornered me outside Physics. Okay, that's the wrong word...how about, met me outside of Physics?" Elena started, "He was kind of shy at first, started talking to me about the weather and whether Mr. Broderick and Miss. Kennedy are dating. Then we started talking about homecoming and I mentioned that I was dateless. He just sort of asked really quietly, and I said yes."

There were several more giggles.

"Okay, now onto Freya Lake," Morgana spoke in her best game-show voice, "Will you please reveal your date for $100?"

"I've been asked by many a suitor, but I picked one," she was perfectly embarrassed, "But the thing is, he doesn't want me to tell anyone who he is, even you guys. To be honest, I'd rather keep it a secret- there is a sort of romantic sense of mystery towards it."

Gwen rolled her eyes.

"What crap!" Elena scoffed, "We're your amazingly awesome best mates! We know more about you than you do!"

Freya shrugged, "It's worth it just to see your reactions. I don't have to tell you-it's my decision. And before you say he asked me to not say anything, I could tell you but I'm just choosing not to."

"Like it is anyway."

"Come on, let's get Gwen's date out of her before I'm married and expecting my first child."

The brunette felt a school-girl grin appear on her face.

"Arthur asked me the other day when we were talking and I accepted."

There was another furious squeal from the group as Morgana squeezed her tight, almost choking her. Freya looked as though she wanted to do a back flip right in front of the elderly women on the next table whilst Elena did the Chandler-dance in her seat.

"I knew it!" her best friend turned to the blonde, holding out her hand, "Elena Gawant, you owe me twenty bucks! I totally said that Gwen liked him after that display at the table!"

The cheerleader scowled heavily as she dug into her back pocket, producing a crisp green paper and placing it reluctantly into Morgana's palm.

"I hate you guys," Gwen hissed.

"Ooh, we're terrified," Freya mocked, a hand pressed against her heart.

"I think it's lovely," Elena tried to be sympathetic towards her friend, "Lancelot may have been an alright boyfriend, but he was a pretty nasty bloke in general. Arthur is really sweet and thoughtful, also quite intelligent and considerate. He is actually also pretty dishy, you know. Oh great, now I'm starting to sound like Freya!"

"Cheers, hon."

"You're welcome."

"Okay, okay," Gwen pushed to change the subject, "Come on Morgana, you're all talk and no reveal. Tell us who you're off with."

"You know how I have started a mass campaign to get Gwaine and Sefa together? Well, I was leaving the toilets after my make-up malfunction. You know the other day when I..."

"Yeah, we know the one," Freya waved her hand in the air.

"Anyhow, I walked outside and the clotpole bumped into me, letting my books skimmer across the floor. Surprising me, he helped me pick them up, so naturally I asked him what was up with him. He replied that he was always chivalrous to a pretty lady and offered me a daisy he had picked from the school field."

She paused, catching her breath slightly.

"And then?" Elena prompted.

"Gwaine told me that he was willing to offer the service of being my date to homecoming free of charge, which is his way of asking me. I dropped my books all over again, saying every expletive under the sun in my head."

"What did he say?" Freya was on the edge of the seat like the time they'd gone to see Paranormal Activity 2 at the cinema and she was the only one that was actually scared.

"Nothing, he just kind of stood there this time. I picked up all the books and just shot away. Every step I took, the more terrible I felt about leaving. I turned back around, but he'd left."

There was an awkward silence at the table.

"So it was you he has a crush on," Elena whispered.

"Had," Morgana corrected, "Had a crush on."

"It's going be really, really awkward in your English group," Gwen remarked, off-handedly.

"I'm aware," the dark-haired teen whispered sadly.

There was an even more awkward silence as the sixteen year-olds sipped their coffees. Freya looked into her bag, searching for an excuse to talk. Finally finding something, a huge smile arrived on her face as she pulled out a piece of card.

"Hey guys," she spoke in a lulling tone.

"Yes?" they all asked simultaneously.

"I have a $100 voucher for Piperlime," she grinned, "Do you know what that means ladies?"

"SHOPPING IN THE SALE!" they all screamed.

**Hey, it's me! Sorry about the quality/quantity of the chapter, it's more of a filler. I am SO looking forward to tonight's episode- it looks so brilliant! Please tell me what you think of the Gwaine/Morgana romance because I'm at a crossroad of what to do with it. Shall it continue or should the flame burn out?**

**Teaser for next chapter: It's time for a bit of Merlin and Gwen interaction (not romantically, of course).**

**Thank you for the reviews everyone, only 8 until we have 80! Here are the replies:**

**freckled98: There will be good times and bad, trust me!**

**Julie Winchester: But what about the age old sneaking out?**

**gorgeousangel: There will be a lot of secret-slipping soon.**

**larasmith: There will be many divided opinions, trust me, especially later on.**

**2Sam11: Oh trust me, there will be!**

**whitecrossgirl: I love adorableness! :D**

**Semper Fi xxx**


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

Arthur strolled through the main doors, the sound of high school actually sounding okay for once. Even though he still had the chance of Lancelot killing him, this was out-weighed by the fact that he was going to homecoming with Guinevere Leodegrance. His grades were at an all time high, and for the first time, he was actually quite happy with life.

But the halls had become quiet, too quiet...

"Arthur Pendragon, do you confirm or deny the rumours that you are going to the Homecoming Ball with Gwen Leodegrance, cheer captain and recent ex of football hotshot Lancelot Du Lac?"

He looked down to see a short brunette holding a portable recorder in his face.

"Nimueh Afanc, columnist for the Albion High Times," she spoke in a very serious, brisk journalist tone, "Now may you please answer my question?"

It was only then he realised that Merlin had disappeared.

Arthur blinked at the other reporters who were surrounding her, swarming like locusts. Each had a pad and paper, staring him intently as though he would leave their sight if they did not stop looking. He blinked at them, not really sure of what he was supposed to say and what he could.

"Are you going to answer us or not?" a lanky boy with thick-rimmed glasses asked, rather rudely, tapping his pen to his heartbeat.

"Er...no comment?"

There was an eye roll from Nimueh as a well as a grumble from most of her peers.

"You could at least give us a challenge," she snapped, "You know, shove us out the way, say a few rude words, give chase. It would look great for our cameras."

"What cameras?" Arthur looked around wildly, not being able to spot any. Nimueh sighed again and threw a finger backward, indicating to a ginger boy wearing a baseball cap and a moody expression, a small video recorder in his hands, focusing on the blonde.

"You know I'm not going to say anything stupid."

"There is a thing called editing you know," the ginger replied in a bored tone.

Getting very annoyed with the swarm of reporters, Arthur began to push through them. A few intelligent journalists moved in front of him, walking backwards, their recorders, pads and other equipments still shoved in his face.

"They know."

Arthur looked down to his left to see Gwen walking perfectly in-sync in with him. In contrary to him, she was perfectly calm, carrying her folders without a sign of worry.

"How?"

"Somebody must have overheard one of us telling our friends and sent it as a scoop to the newspaper. I was almost attacked when I walked in with Morgana," she sighed, "People can't even keep secrets anymore, it's pretty wrong."

"Are you sure it wasn't any of your friends that blabbed?" asked Arthur.

Gwen shook her head.

"No," she spoke confidently and casually, as if the reporters were not listening in, "They would never do that, I know them too well. I'm also pretty sure that Merlin would not do a thing, I just hope I'm right."

"You are, he would never breathe a word."

"Are you sure?" the lanky boy suddenly asked excitedly, putting pen to paper, "Because he would be a reliable. Do you mean Merlin..?"

Arthur rolled his eyes.

"Merlin Young, you can quote it in the paper if you like."

There was a grin from some of the reporters as Arthur stared absolute daggers at his best friend.

"Now what is a decent person," Nimueh nodded approvingly, "Why don't you tell us a little more about finding out? Was it a big shock or were you expecting it? How do you feel about the fact your best friend is going as a date to the most popular girl at Albion High? Does jealousy overwhelm you or are you happy for him?"

Merlin shook his head.

"Sorry, I don't want to give any answers. I do not mind my name being quoted, but I'm staying quiet over the matter."

"Damn you!" Nimueh hissed, before muttering something even ruder under her breath.

"Aw come on, don't be a wet blanket!" Lanky replied.

Merlin shook his head as the pushed past the annoyed reporters, who were attempting to follow them. At that point, a couple of teachers were coming out of their classrooms, wondering what the commotion about. The members of the paper were not allowed to harass or follow their fellow students around too much after some parents threatened a lawsuit a couple of years back, with one person almost getting a restraining order.

The journalists finally got the hint and turned away, complaining very loudly.

Mr. Roswell glared at their retreating figures before shooting a dirty look at the trio. He poked his head back into the room and shut the door loudly.

"Well that was eventful," Merlin mentioned casually.

Arthur rounded on him, furious.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he almost screamed, "Acting all innocent before pissing them off-top job mate, well done. They're going to edit everything we've said and twist it on paper and who do you thinks' gonna be dropped in it? We already get enough crap from Lancelot and his cronies? They are going to have an absolute field day when they see this footage!"

Merlin was actually genuinely shocked at his friend's outburst. It was rare that Arthur ever lost his temper, but when he did, it was something to be feared.

"Arthur, calm down," he spoke in his reasoning voice.

The blonde showed no sign of becoming less angry.

"Arthur, for God sake, you're just embarrassing yourself," Gwen suddenly snapped, "Stop taking it out on Merlin, he's not the one almost attacking you."

The two men stared at her in the upmost shock. Then again, she had stood up against Lancelot but she never really raised her voice.

"What?" she asked, "I'm just standing my ground."

"I think it's really cool," Merlin beamed at her as Arthur shifted slightly, toeing the ground and looking extremely sheepish.

"Er, thanks?" it was more of a question when it came from Gwen's lips.

There was an awkward silence as a young female teacher approached, her ponytail swaying behind her. They presumed that she wanted to find out what the problem was.

"Arthur, I need to talk to you about your latest calculus mid-term," she told him, "My name is Miss. Green and I graded it because Miss. Smith was having her knee surgery."

The teenager gulped- he'd had a feeling that he had not done too well in that test.

"Come along," she smiled softly as he trailed after her, shooting a fearful look at Gwen and an apologetic one in the direction of Merlin.

The two watched the teenager fall into step with Miss. Green, chatting to her with the most amazing poker-face they'd seen in all of the land.

"I'm sorry that he was being a jerk," Merlin apologised to his new friend, "Arthur's scared and when he is, he tries to hide it with an attitude."

"What is he actually scared of?"

"Rejection," Merlin sighed, "He's terrified that you'll break off the date or humiliate him. Don't get me wrong, you'd never do that, it's just that he's never had anything in his life that has made him so happy. As you know, he never had a mother and his father was quite strict in the upbringing of his son. Lancelot's made his life a living hell since the pair met. He's always dreamed of being on the football team, but he is not 'cool enough.' He drives a beat-up, ol' pickup truck. Arthur is just scared that you are one if the things he will never have."

"That's awful."

"I know," Merlin bit his lip, "At least in another two years we'll be out of this place, there will be the chance for a new beginning."

"High school stays with everyone," Gwen replied wisely.

"True," the dark-haired teen, "We should stop talking about him now, it's not fair on him."

Gwen nodded.

"You're right, let's change the subject."

There was another pause.

"So, who are you off to the dance with?"

Merlin blushed scarlet, "Nobody. I'm going as a lone wolf, stag as they sometimes say."

"Anyone you wanna go with?"

He shook his head.

"Oh come off it," Gwen scoffed, "I'm sure that there is one maiden who takes your fancy. God, I've been reading far too many Arthurian texts recently."

Merlin chuckled, before turning immediately serious again, "Well, there is one girl whom I like."

"What's her name?" the female prodded.

"Not saying, cos you'll know her. You know everybody in this damn school, Miss. Popular."

Gwen sighed, "Just tell me what's she is like, okay?"

Merlin nodded, before launching into a massive speech.

"She's beautiful, classic beautiful. Elegant, feminine, classy. But her beauty isn't the only thing that makes me like her. She is very funny, great to be around as far as I'm aware- I haven't been near her much. She knows my name and who I am, which I suppose is a convenience. She isn't in any of my classes, so I don't know how smart she is but I'd like to think she is. She is popular, so there is no chance in hell that she'll like me back. It's just not done."

"Just because the girl in question is popular doesn't mean she doesn't like you back."

"Like I said, it's just not done," Merlin shook his head, "She dates jocks and other cool kids, not invisibles like me."

He sighed.

"One day, it will all change," Gwen suddenly spoke boldly, "One day we can date whoever he want and hang around with people outside our social circle."

This got a few looks from student surrounding her.

"But until then..." Merlin trailed off as the warning bell sounded.

They both nodded sadly at each other as they went their separate ways.

**Hey guys, it's me! You guys wanted some Merlin, so here he is. Can you guess who his mystery girl is?**

**Teaser for next chapter: Coming up, we'll have some more father/son interaction.**

**Thank you for the reviews for last chapter. I only got 4 however, in comparison to the 11 in the first! May I please hear your opinions on Gwaine/Morgana? The majority seem to be in favour of the pairing.**

**Julie Winchester: Interesting, thank you for your constant help!**

**larasmith: The mall thing was only sort of a filler chapter, designed to get some more from the ladies. Hope you enjoyed this one!**

**TardisIsAGoodFriend: Love the name, just starting to get into Dr. Who. I hope you like that Merlin has found someone.**

**thesingingowl: I will take your opinion into consideration, thank you for your input.**

**Semper Fi xxx**


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Arthur swore under his breath as the door shook loudly, creating a vibration throughout the house. The entrance was on its final stages of life, and it would not be long until it fell completely off its hinges.

"Afternoon, son," Uther sipped his coffee from his chipped cup.

"Hey dad," Arthur placed his folders down on the table, wincing at the yelling coming from the house on the left side of theirs (even though it was technically right the way they were looking at it). Rolling his eyes, he turned back to his father.

"Guess next door are arguing again?"

Uther nodded vaguely, "They were at it just after you left for school, around midday and it died down about an hour back. Now it's just flared up again."

Next door lived John Wescott and Virginia Torres, both in their early twenties. John, like Uther, was currently unemployed and it seemed that he was not all too taken with getting a job, which irked his girlfriend. The two had been having screaming matches for months now, but not once had one ever stormed out of the house in anger. Some of the words they vocalised were not pretty and in general their language was fairly colourful, even with kids down the street.

"Do they ever shut up?" Arthur groaned.

As if by magic, the screaming ceased and their pair could be heard talking in normal tones (the walls of both homes were very thin, even though they were detached).

"Yes," Uther replied simply as he continued to drink, "They do. How was your day?"

Arthur bit his lip. He'd sworn to himself that he was not going to tell his dad that he was going to the dance with Gwen until it had actually happened, in order to make sure that he could actually go in one piece, or go at all. Maybe it was time to be honest.

"Can I tell you something and you'll swear that you won't go crazy?"

Uther frowned as he shut off the telly, "Sure?"

Arthur half-smiled as he scooted over to the couch, flopping next to his father who was bordered between confusion and bewilderment.

"Is there something wrong? You haven't got anyone pregnant, have you? Because if you have, I swear to God I'll kick your ass all the way to New Zealand."

The blonde chuckled, "Nope, you won't be a grandfather in nine months. I don't intend to get anybody pregnant, at least in high school."

Uther nodded, visibly relaxing, "Good. So what is it then?"

Arthur took a deep breath, his heart pounding against his ribcage in a dramatic fashion.

"I'm going to homecoming with this girl..."

Uther laughed hollowly, "Seriously? That was what you were so worked up about telling me? That you're off to homecoming and you've got a date? I'm happy for you, son."

Arthur turned slightly red.

"I wasn't finished," he stated.

Uther's smile vanished.

"That girl," the younger Pendragon paused for a moment, "That girl...happens to be Guinevere."

The silence was painful as Uther dropped his cup, letting the parts smash across the floor in a manner which could be dangerous if they were stepped upon. It was quite lucky that he had finished the contents of that cup; otherwise there would have been a huge stain in the thinning carpet.

"Guinevere?" the elder Pendragon asked after several moments of hush, "As in Guinevere Leodegrance, daughter of the richest man in town? Destined to go to an Ivy League Guinevere Leodegrance?"

Arthur nodded mutely.

"How the hell did you get her?"

He looked up sharply, not expecting this answer from his father. He'd expected a telling-off, a bitter comment or being thrown out of the house for consorting with that 'rich girl' whose dad 'ruined the family.'

"Excuse me?"

"You heard me. How the hell did you get a date with her?" Uther retorted.

"Well, she was all upset because she'd told her dad about what she actually wanted to do with her life and he didn't act in the way in which she would have liked. She was also quite miffed with the fact that everyone was gossiping about her behind her back, especially because she didn't have a date to Homecoming, even as the most popular girl in school. I comforted her and asked if she maybe wanted to go to the dance with me. Guinevere agreed."

"Oh."

"Oh what?"

"Oh nothing," Uther replied, "I'm just a bit...surprised."

"At what? The fact that I'm going to the dance with the honour-roll cheer captain?"

"Yes," his dad replied, quite honestly, "I am. Are you sure that it isn't just some cruel joke on her part? Maybe she's in league with that Lancelot kid too- he's always been a little so and so, just like his father Patrick. His mother, Gloria, isn't too bad, but still."

"You know them?" Arthur pushed to change the subject.

He nodded, "Yes, I do, I went to school with the pair. Patrick was the jock, just like his son, but was a good man. He was my friend, even though I was just a regular kid. Good friends, we were. That was until Gloria arrived, however."

"What happened?"

"Junior Year and my life was pretty good. I had a handful of good friends, my grades were fine and I'd just got out of a relationship with the neediest girl in the history of the world. I was talking to Patrick one day and then Gloria Nelson, that was her name back then before she was married, of course, came floating in. He was smitten, taken by her."

"Was that such a bad thing?"

"Not really, until it got serious. It was sort of just a 'let's date,' casual kind of thing first before it got onto a crush faze. Then it got really serious."

Uther's eyes darkened before he continued.

"It was kind of an obsession. Actually no, that sounds a bit...twisted. He really liked her, really, really liked her. It was unrequited at that point, I don't know why. Maybe she didn't like his personality or just wasn't attracted to him at all. Anyhow, Patrick got the wrong idea, thought that she didn't like him because he wasn't 'cool' or whatever. Started to hang out the wrong crowd, started smoking and drinking. Got his stomach pumped after a party or something along those lines."

Arthur's eyebrows shot up to his forehead.

"Yeah, I know," Uther noticed his son's reaction, "He totally blanked me. It was because I had just started dating your mother and I didn't want to kill myself with cigarettes. Gloria must have said something because he suddenly stopped with all the 'reckless' behaviour. But he was still different...distant, cold. When Gloria wasn't around, he made rude comments and the odd physical contact. They'd begun dating at this point, of course. Then, not long later after I was wed to your mother, they got married- I wasn't invited to the wedding, of course."

"Do you still keep in contact?"

"Nah," Uther shook his head, "Patrick is an accountant at some huge firm, almost as big as Leodegrance Corporation, so he's all big-headed over the fact he's rich and I'm hopeless."

"You aren't hopeless!" Arthur argued.

Uther ignored him, "I ran into him at the grocery store the other day. He started making some sarcastic comments until Gloria started to walk over. I just turned and left."

His son's face softened, "That's awful."

"I know, things change."

"Is that why you are so...tetchy about me going to the dance with a popular? You're worried about the fact that I'll become like Patrick?"

"Not really," Uther sighed, "I'm just worried that she'll break your heart. You may defend her and say that it will not happen, but there is the possibility it will happen."

Arthur shook his head.

"Not going to happen, dad," he continued defending Gwen, "She would never do that- Lancelot would, but he is definitely not cunning enough to do this. He is smart, but being sneaky is not her forte."

Uther shrugged, "If he ever lays a finger on you, I will kill him with a paperclip in one of eighteen different ways."

"You really think that would work for the almighty Lancelot?" Arthur raised an eyebrow, "He acts like he can move mountains."

His father chuckled slightly.

"You aren't actually happy with me going to the dance with Guinevere?" he asked, "Pretend all that crap with Patrick never happened, would you be pleased for me?"

Uther sighed.

"Yes," he replied honestly, nodding.

"So why can't you be happy for me?" Arthur whispered, "It's not like we're actually dating, it's just one dance. If nothing happens, then so be it."

"I suppose I could be happy for you, but I can't just let the past go. I know how you feel about her, Arthur but I'm not letting my only son get his heart crushed just because the girl he likes doesn't like him back."

"But..."

Uther held a hand up as a sign of authority, "Don't interrupt me, boy. I have the power to ground you on the night to prevent you from going, you know that right?"

"There is the age-old sneaking out," Arthur shot back without thinking.

He groaned inwardly at his stupidity. He'd inherited his father's gift of the gab, but this came with the whole speaking before thinking thing.

Uther would surely lock all doors and windows, as well as putting the neighbours on alert. They didn't like the people down their street, but those folks were damn nosy and would probably spot Arthur walking down the street when he was not supposed to.

"Do you honestly want to do this?"

Arthur nodded rapidly, "Not just because of the popularity."

Uther's mind went into overdrive. His thoughts finally got the better of him and he just knew that he was going to regret this.

"Fine," he sighed, "But on three conditions."

"What exactly are those conditions?" asked Arthur apprehensively- he didn't want to get excited in case they were strict rules.

"First- any sign of trouble and you get your butt straight home, you understand me?" Uther had his warning voice out.

Arthur nodded.

"Second condition- no drinking. I know that a couple of punch bowls will be spiked, as it was in my day, so steer clear of them. I don't want a call from PD in the evening to say you've been busted for DUI. I won't even need to start on drugs, will I?"

Arthur shook his head, "Of course not."

"And as for that condition?"

"Totally fine, it'll be obvious which bowls will have the alcohol in anyway. What's the final one?"

Uther's expression remained a poker-face, before splitting into a huge smile at the very last second.

"You will wear my old tux."

**Hey guys! It is I! Did you enjoy this chapter? If you found the NCIS reference, I love you!**

**Teaser: Next chapter's last bit will be GUARANTEED to get you talking. Just sayin'**

**Thank you for the 9 reviews! 85 overall. Will we get to 100 by next chapter? I would really like that!**

**Replies:**

**BrangelLover: Aw, shucks!**

**thesingingowl: I don't actually know who Ally McBeal is, but I hope that's a good thing. **

**Julie Winchester: All will be revealed.**

**larasmith: I love your analytical reviews. I guess that you're a Merlin/Freya shipper!**

**freckled98: Hopefully those personalities won't be the only interesting times in this story.**

**2Sam11: Thanks!**

**LadyL: I don't tend to cry at TV shows (only NCIS and Dr. Who have that honour), mainly because I was more shocked than upset, even though I love person who died (I won't spoil it for those who have seen it).**

**whitecrossgirl: Just a bit cheesy, but I like cheesy. I'd probably be the one starting the lawsuit.**

**lailastar: They did buy them, I just didn't mention it. Is there anybody who you would want Merlin to like even though I've picked it?**

**Semper Fi xxx**


	12. Chapter 12

**Quick note, this takes place about a week or so after last chapter.**

**Chapter 12**

Gwen entered the room, expecting Rosita to come over to ask her about her day. Instead, she was met with a silent house. Frowning slightly, she hollered, to no reply.

She heard voices coming from the lounge, one belonging to her housekeeper and the other to a male whom she found dauntingly familiar, but she felt that she could not place it.

Dropping her kit bag on the floor, resolving to pick it up later, she kicked off her white trainers and placed them in the closet almost invisible on the wall. Wondering who the male visitor was, she strode straight into the living room. And low and behold, a truly wonderful sight...

"ELYAN!" Gwen screamed, a huge beam spreading across her face.

"Hey sis," the young man grinned, spreading his arms out wide. His sister sprinted into them, almost knocking him to the ground with a winded hug. Rosita watched from the corner, her smile lighting up the room. She'd had an accident when she was young which meant that she was infertile, so she'd always seen the Leodegrance youth as her children, especially since the death of their mother.

"What are you doing back from college?" Gwen pulled away, worried, "Is there something wrong?"

Elyan shook his head, "Didn't you hear about the fire?"

The brunette gave him a confused look.

"Yeah, there was a small blaze in the kitchens and then it spread round the school. The business and law sections were the worst damaged, but it wasn't too bad. Some of the dorms got burnt, but mine only got a little singed. They're sending students home for a week with quite a bit of work, I can tell you. Great start to my freshman year, I tell ya! Didn't dad call or text you to say I was home? Mind you, it was only this morning when it happened and it's only a two hour drive."

"My phone was in my locker all day, that's where I keep it," Gwen replied, "Maybe he wanted it to be a surprise or something." She missed out the fact she was barely speaking to Tom.

"Maybe," Elyan shrugged, "Shall we sit down? Catch up?"

The two dropped onto the sofa simultaneously.

"Would you like me to make you both a drink?" Rosita asked, not wanting to spoil the moment.

"Please," Elyan replied, "A lemonade for me. Would you like one too, Gwen?"

She nodded and the house-keeper turned in the direction of the kitchen.

The two looked at each other in a mute staring-battle, trying to find the right words to say to each other. It had seemed like forever since they'd last talked, when in fact it had only been a couple of weeks or so.

"How's college?" Gwen finally asked.

Elyan looked delighted.

"I love it!" he proclaimed, "It makes high school seem like you spent your whole life in the restrooms- seriously! My roommate, Gillan McKay is a top lad! So funny, so very funny- makes Gwaine seem like a new act at the bar. Some of my professors are funny and there are some very good-looking girls, I tell you! There's this one called Helen Singer, she's really cool..." He blushed like a little schoolboy seeing a pretty female for the first time.

"Is she?" Gwen raised an eyebrow.

Elyan nodded rapidly.

"What is she like?"

"She's really pretty- not like plastic pretty, warm and kind pretty. She's obviously very smart and so kind-hearted. Rightly-so, she tutors kids on the evenings and some weekends. Comes from money, a bit like us, but she doesn't flaunt it. In fact, she has few designer possessions. If she does, I am yet to see them."

"She sounds really cool," Gwen replied honestly- it was nice that her brother had found someone genuine, even though they weren't actually dating yet, "Do you have a picture?"

Elyan nodded and reached for the phone in his back pocket. She unlocked it before shifting through numerous pictures. He finally settled on one and turned his smartphone's screen in the direction of his baby sister.

Helen was quite a nice-looking young woman with a mature face. Her hair was dark brown, like Freya's, pulled up into a ponytail. Her eyes were very drawing and she had a lovely smile upon her face. She was seemingly sat at a table with two other girls talking in the background.

"Wow, she is pretty," Gwen replied, quite flummoxed at the truth that Elyan had picked someone out who was decent- he usually had such bad taste in girlfriends (well, in her opinion anyway).

He nodded as he slipped the cell away again.

"How are you and Prance...sorry, Lancelot?" He knew that his sister hated it when he used that nickname for her (now-ex) boyfriend.

"We broke up," Gwen spoke bluntly.

Elyan resisted the urge to dance around the room at those words. He'd inherited the family hatred of the football captain.

"That's so sad," he tried to sound sympathetic.

"Drop the act, I know you hated him."

"Of course I did, he was an asshole!" Elyan shot back, "When did you finally come to your senses and ditch him?"

"He was bullying Arthur; I defended him, broke up with him whilst he was being cocky then threw water all over his head so that he got the message."

"Put it here, Gwen!" he held out a hand for her to smack, which she did.

"Quick question," he spoke in afterthought, "Who the hell is Arthur? Someone I should know about?" He wiggled his eyebrows in what he thought was a suggestive manner, but it actually looked rather stupid.

"He's my English partner, sir picked our pairs," Gwen replied, "He's just my friend, I'd never met him beforehand, thought he was new at first. He's my date to homecoming."

Seeing the reaction on her brother's face, she clapped both hands to her mouth, absolutely cursing herself (well, not really, she never swore). Elyan was going to tease her rotten for this.

"Just a friend who happens to be your date, huh?" he raised an eyebrow, "Wow, so you've just broken up with Lancelot and now you're going to a dance with a guy you barely know. That's playing the field, isn't is Gwen?"

Rolling her eyes, she sighed.

"Something up?"

"You can't be happy for me, can you?!"

"Hey," Elyan put his hands up defensively, "I am happy for you, I'm just a bit surprised, that's all!"

"How so?"

"Well, I always thought you'd finally accepted that Lancelot was your only 'choice,' as the populars put it, when in fact there is always the option of other people. That guy is only horrible to unpopular and others below his station, so you're technically dating outside your social circle, aren't you? I am just really proud that you've actually stood up for yourself."

"Thanks," Gwen was slightly confused, "I guess."

Elyan nodded wearily, holding out his arms again for a hug. Gwen shifted forward and was hugged close by her older sibling. They'd always been close, but it seemed like the bond had been tightened in one way or another.

The door was heard slamming in the background.

"I guess dad's back."

-BOY NEXT DOOR-

Gwen peeked at the clock- nine o'clock. She wasn't particularly tired, but she wanted an early night. She didn't really want to start a new book, especially at this time or watch telly. Stifling a tiny yawn, she turned to her laptop. Supposing she could check her e-mails, she walked over to her locked laptop, sitting down onto her comfy seat.

Unlocking it, she clicked onto the internet and found the site.

Logging on, she hovered over the inbox as she saw a small one next to it. Clicking on it, she smiled slightly as the sender was revealed to be:

arthur_pendragon .uk.

Her smile, however, vanished when she saw what was written.

_Dear Tom,_

_How's my favourite cousin? We haven't spoken in quite a while- still banned from Facebook, aren't you? Still can't believe you weren't arrested! ROFL!_

_Anyhow, you asked me last time how it's going with Guinevere. Well, you'll never guess what! I'm going to the Homecoming Ball with her! I know right, how cool is that?_

_Well, it's not like I actually care about it. Or her, in general. I'm only using her for her popularity- she's got a bland personality and a terrible bore, not even that pretty. I don't even know why somebody would date her. After the dance, I'll be king of the school and Guinevere in her place._

_She's been so excited, she has no idea. Quite naive, puts trust in the wrong people. In fact, she puts her trust in everybody. Stupid girl, how she got on honour roll is beyond me!_

_Anyway, got to go. I'm planning on the first few things I'm going to do when I'm popular. It will be most likely making sure no one cares about Guinevere!_

_Wish me luck! Well, I'm not going to need it. I have the right ideas._

_See ya,_

_Arthur._

Guinevere Rosa Leodegrance gasped, tears silently trickling down her face.

What had she just read?

**Hey. I bet you all hate me now, don't you?**

**Merlin in just under 2 hours! So excited.**

**Teaser for next chapter: A bit of drama never hurt anyone, right?**

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**Okay, now I'm going to run and hide from all the Arwen fans (well, that would mean I'm running away from myself).**

**Semper Fi xxx**


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13**

Arthur looked around as the students stared at him, anger glazing from their eyes like sunlight. Some whispered behind their hands, whilst others did not hide their obscenities and insults.

"Why is everybody talking about me?" he leant over to Merlin in a whisper, "They were surprised, but most were okay."

His best friend shrugged as they continued down the corridor, frowning at the sight of the peers and the poison that was dripping from their mouths in the form of harsh words. Several jocks bumped purposefully into Arthur, letting his books fly everywhere. They skidded onto the ground in front of him, stepped on by peers who did not seem to care about his work.

Annoyed, he picked his things up and made sure they were steady in his arms before continuing. A confused Merlin stared after the hockey players, who did not look back.

"What is with everyone today?" the dark-haired teen asked," Do you think it was Nimueh? I bet it was, I bet she had something to do with it! The paper always wants a scoop, and this was probably the way to get it. They threatened to edit the video and they probably did so diligently. I wouldn't be surprised if it's all over the school."

Arthur shook his head.

"She wouldn't," his voice was filled with confidence, "I don't know why, but I don't think she would. The reporters may go a bit too far sometimes, but they aren't as crazy as some of the paps for Us Weekly or Ok! It's not like the whole Connor Kennedy/Taylor Swift summer romance."

Merlin was a little worried for his friend, but did not admit that.

They rounded the corner and froze, shocked at the sight in front of them.

Gwen was in front of her locking, sobbing into Morgana's shoulder, quite loudly. Elena was patting her gently and rubbing her back, whilst Freya was offering comforting words. The student population were scattered around, concerned for her well-being and generally offering inquiries into her well-being and wishes of hope.

Without hesitation, Arthur strode straight over.

"Guinevere," he tried to reach over, "What's happened?"

Gwen shifted away as she slowly placed her head upwards. Freya and Elena moved from their positions, performing a protective perimeter around their friend.

"Shove off," the brunette hissed, "We don't want you around."

Arthur was genuinely confused.

"What have I done?" he asked with disbelief.

"You know what you've done," Morgana spoke to him in the harshest tone ever heard from a human being, "Now get away from my best mate or I will make sure that you'll be stumbling to the Nurse in a matter of moments."

Arthur blinked.

"I swear, I don't know what I've done to upset Guinevere," he held his hands in the air as a sign of surrender, "I swear, I don't."

"Yes you do," Gwen nodded for Elena to give a piece of paper to Arthur, sniffling, "I think I'll remind you of it. You probably forgot about it whilst plotting about what crown you are going to wear when you make your way as king. Then again, it'll be extra large because of your big head, swelled from all your thoughts of self-love."

Feeling slightly hurt at her sudden burst of oppression, he quickly scanned the text.

With every word he read, anger filled him. He wanted to rip the paper, throw it on the floor and set it alight with whatever was available. Whoever had done this wanted to hurt both of them, make sure their relationship was nothing more than a fantasy, a fabrication.

"I have no idea what this is, I promise."

Gwen raised an eyebrow.

"R…R…Really?" she asked through several more tears.

"For a start, I don't even have a cousin by the name of Tom, but the most important thing is that I would never do that or think something along those lines! I'd like to be popular, but I would never hurt anybody to get to it, least of all you! I think you are a beautiful girl, witty and clever too. I don't ever say ROFL anyway."

"A likely story," Gwen sniffled.

"A true one, though," replied Arthur, "I would never do such a thing!"

Gwen shook her head softly as several more tears trickled down his cheek. He automatically reached to comfort her, but remembered what had happened, placing his hands back in his pockets.

"I suggest you leave," snapped Elena, "I'm pretty sure that she doesn't want you around and to be honest, I'm getting sick of you myself."

The blonde staggered back slightly as all four teenagers stared at him with an equally stony and in the case of everybody save Gwen, narrowed-eyes glare.

"Buddy," Merlin put a hand on his shoulder, "I really think we should go, they don't want us here. There isn't anything to work out." His friend did nothing, and so he pushed harder.

"Please," he turned to begging.

Arthur nodded slightly, tearing his eyes from Gwen. Not even bothering to deny it any longer, he turned away, beginning to walk off with Merlin flanking him.

"Arthur?"

He looked back, smiling slightly at the sound of Gwen's voice.

"Don't talk to me, except in class," she called, her voice breaking, "You have no idea how you've made me feel."

-BOY NEXT DOOR-

"Who would do this?"

Merlin shrugged as he slammed his locker shut, letting the metal vibrate into the walls. He really didn't know what to do. His head was telling Arthur to run but his heart was telling him to do something. He honestly thought that however did this really must have a vendetta against his best friend.

"Plenty of the populars must hate me for being under their social status," he began talking rapidly, "Lancelot hates me, but he'd never do anything so crazy. The paper wants a scoop, but they aren't that underhand. It's like everyone is pulling me this way and that, wanting me to believe that it wasn't them who did it."

Merlin sighed, "Arthur, we need to calm down in order to find out the facts."

"I don't know why on earth somebody would do this."

"Neither do I, but it seems that someone doesn't like you. Whoever's done this has access to your e-mail, knows about your love for Gwen and is willing to use this against you."

"Nobody knows my password; I keep it under lock and key. Not even my dad is aware of what it is. They must have a hacker or computer genius on their side, if they are not one themselves. I haven't left my e-mail open for opportunity at all recently."

The dark-haired teen groaned: this was going to be harder than he thought.

"I really like her, Merlin."

"I know you do."

"No, I really, really like her. For the first time, I thought about love. I remember watching her hide behind her mom when she came in the Kindergarten, with her pigtails and lilac t-shirt. She stuttered when Miss. Malloy told her to introduce herself but when she started talking about dance and gymnastics...boy, did her smile light up. Then when Lancelot came in fourth grade, you could tell she wasn't really keen on his back then. In middle school, I remember the first time she performed with the cheerleading squad in 6th Grade. She threw up straight before it, but she ploughed on, knowing that her mother would have wanted to do that. Flash forward to freshman year, and she's already the most popular girl in school. In sophomore year, she started dating Lancelot and that broke my heart. Then she found out she was going to be cheer captain- it was then I knew that I'd never get a chance with her. In English this year, I remember when Roswell told us the assignment and I knew I'd end up with someone along the lines of Vivian or the like. When he announced my name and hers...I don't know how I felt, but it was a pretty powerful feeling. I went to her house, we almost kissed- it was like a dream. Then she broke it up with Jerk-a-Lot and it was good, greater when she agreed to be my date."

He paused for breath, before continuing.

"Then I walk in this morning, on cloud nine, and this happens. It's like I've crashed and burnt. I have never felt more worthless in my life. I know that I sound like a lovesick schoolboy, but...well, I don't honestly know."

Merlin felt so awful for Arthur.

The warning bell buzzed loudly and they began to join the students hurrying to homeroom.

'_You have no idea how you've made me feel.'_

But it was those words that hurt him the most, even though he hadn't caused them.

That made him more determined to find the truth.

**Bet you guys love me now, don't you?**

**Teaser: It's class time for Arthur and Gwen, and things are heating up!**

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**Semper Fi xxx**


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14**

Arthur took a deep breath before walking in.

The whole class went turned deathly silent as he entered, either staring at him or exchanging knowing glances with friends. Even Mr. Roswell looked up from the Kim Kardashian article which he was reading in his confiscated copy of Us Weekly.

Aware of the looks and points, he shifted over to his desk and sat down quietly. Gwen made little to no acknowledgment of his presence, merely doodling in her book with her pink, fluffy pen. He cleared his throat quite loudly, but she still ignored him pointedly.

"Okay," the teacher called from the front, "I've got a surprise for you."

The students sat up a little straighter at his words.

"You're performing today."

Que the annoyance...

There were many more yells and arguments from the class than the time they found out they weren't picking their partners. Gwen just closed her eyes and Arthur didn't bother complaining. He wasn't in the mood, it wasn't his style and more importantly, it wouldn't impress Gwen or the teacher. Mr. Roswell was not one for going with public opinion.

"I do not care what you all think," he replied with the wave of a hand, "We are doing it today- you are all prepared, more than prepared in fact. When I've walked around, it seems as though you've all practiced. You know your words, cues, everything. I wouldn't put you out on your own on purpose if I knew that you weren't ready for this."

More annoyance fell to deaf ears.

"Go on then," he looked at them several seconds later with a 'what are you waiting for?' look, "Hop to it, you have give minutes before the first lot start."

He went back to his magazine, sighing at its awful content before changing to a People.

Arthur turned to Gwen, who was still staring at her pad.

"Well, I think we maybe should, erm, run through it, maybe?"

She nodded as she reached into the small backpack she had with her, taking the phone out of her bag. Switching it on and tapping in the password, she found the recording of the beginning of their little skit.

"I didn't do anything, Guinevere," he eventually told her.

She turned to him, her eyes slightly downcast, "I do not want to talk about this Arthur; I care more about my grades than whatever drama goes on in my life. The evidence is stacked against you: from your e-mail, no proof that somebody was on it, it was not like you were at school at the time- need I go on? The list does."

"Evidence can be misleading."

"It may be, but it all points its crooked finger toward you," Gwen replied.

"Like I said before, I don't even have a cousin called Tom!"

"You could be lying," she replied smoothly, "I do not know what to believe anymore!"

Arthur sighed- this was going to be harder than he thought. Gwen was mainly a quiet, kind young woman but she could be spirited and independent if the situation called for it.

"Just believe me," he whispered.

"I don't know if I can," Gwen shook her head.

"Guinevere, I swear that I had no involvement in this turn of events. It was not by my hand, this e-mail. This lie."

"Whatever," she sighed, "We really need to get on anyway. I told you that I only wanted to talk to you for the sake of class work, but other than that, I do not want us to converse."

Arthur's heart broke even harder at those words.

Blinking back tears, he whispered sadly.

"Shall we skip the recording and dance as to just practice dialogue? That is the main focus of our performance, the words involved."

Gwen nodded calmly, actually surprised that he had let what she had said go so quickly.

"Ah, it looks like Mr. Pendragon and Miss. Leodegrance are ready to start," Mr. Roswell's voice drifted from directly in front of them. "And I am sure that they will not mind going first, will they?"

That was the tone that said 'they do mind, I just don't care what they think.'

Scowling, Gwen grabbed her cell and stood up, striding to the front with a hint of annoyance. Arthur was a little slower to get there, hindered by the giggles and gossip of the class. Mr. Roswell watched from their desks, eyebrows raised in apprehension.

'_This is going to be interesting.'_

'_Do you reckon Gwen will be okay?'_

'_She seems fine, just a little annoyed.'_

'_I wish we had popcorn, this will be even better than the confrontation.'_

Annoyed, Arthur turned to face Gwen who twisted her waist slightly to get to the recording. Pressing play, the sound of childish laughter filled the air.

'_Eddie, can I play with your toys?'_

_Sigh. 'Fine Clara, but only because mama said I had to let you. Only today though. And NO breaking anything- these were for my birthday.'_

'_Look at that pretty ballerina! I bet her and that tin soldier with one leg are in love!'_

'_Don't be so silly Clara; my soldiers are too strong and brave. They are trained for war, not for being in love. Utter poppycock!'_

The class admired how the pair had managed to sound so much like young children.

'_Nonsense. Let them dance!'_

As if an imaginary force was pushing them together, the pair reluctantly got into the position to start a waltz. Well, it was only reluctant for the young cheerleader involved.

'_Clara's' footsteps were heard and the opening of the music box was heard afterward. Several seconds later, and the soft melody of a piano was heard tinkering._

The pair began to dance. Gwen was graceful from all her years as a dancer, as light as a feather and as delicate as a rose. Arthur had never really been gracefully, merely stealthy and articulate. However, this served him well as they swerved around the front, as if their bodies were moulded together from day one.

The whole class held their breath, waiting to see what would happen. Mr. Roswell retrieved his clipboard and began scribbling down some notes.

"Do you like it here?" Gwen asked in an old-fashioned, but sweet voice, much like one of an upper-class Victorian lady.

"I do," Arthur affirmed, "Tis better than the factory in which I was made. A cramped place full of workers who were only there because they had to."

"Why do you only have one leg, soldier? Did those makers not want you to march with pride like your fellows?"

"I was the last one cast from an old tin spoon, I was. Not that it's a problem miss, it just makes me feel different. I do not think that Eddie likes me as much, he does not see me as a real soldier, he doesn't."

"Nonsense," ballerina Gwen shook her pretty brown curls, "If he thought that, then he wouldn't play with you, would he? You still march to and fro with the other soldiers."

Arthur shrugged, almost falling over. However, this was on purpose.

"I am sorry, I cannot he continue," he conceded, "My single leg is not good for dancing- I cannot keep up with you. I truly apologise."

"Do not apologise soldier, it is not your fault," Gwen replied understandingly.

She floated backwards as if she were being pulled.

"The wind doesn't help when you are made of paper," she bit her lip as she floated forward again, making it look like she was being pushed along by a human hand.

"It looks like we both have a fault," Arthur asserted, "Our creators did not think of how we were going to cope like this."

There was a sad sigh directed from both of them.

"Did I ever tell you how beautiful you are, ballerina?" asked Arthur.

"No, you did not soldier," Gwen stepped a little closer.

Their lips were not far from each other and like the first rehearsal, it seemed as though they were going to smash through the one centimetre mark.

They closed their eyes, wanting to make it more believable.

'_Edwin, Clara!' a woman's voice called, 'Supper is ready for you in the dining room.'_

'_Oh no!' Clara conveyed sadness, 'I was enjoying that! Can I play with them again tomorrow, Eddie?' Her voice was full of earnest with the last sentence._

'_No,' his voice was heard clearly as it trailed away, the last notes of the music closing..._

Arthur and Gwen leant back as though they had been put down.

Mr. Roswell placed his clipboard to the side as he clapped together, triggering a rather large round of applause. Even though Arthur knew it was all for Gwen, he still basked it in. This time, it wasn't polite, it was genuine.

"Well done you two, you've raised the bar very high," he turned to the class, "You lot have got to live up to that! Good luck." He then focused his attention back on the pair at the front.

"How did you choose the 'Steadfast Tin Soldier' as your fairytale?"

"It was Guinevere's idea," Arthur told him, "A good one, at that."

"I thought it would symbolise the difference between us. We have different lives, different friends etc. It represents us."

Her tone was terribly sad.

"Good," Mr. Roswell nodded, "Sit back down. Well done again."

There was another small round of applause as they moved back to their seats.

"Now then, let's have Mr. Knight and Miss. Nemeth performing Rapunzel..."

-BOY NEXT DOOR-

Gwen strode quickly outside of the class, making sure to avoid Arthur at all costs. Morgana had chosen that day to be ill, hadn't she?

Striding round the corner, she stopped as she felt her phone vibrate in her bag. Taking it out, she saw a blank text.

'What?' she whispered to herself.

"Hi Gwen," a familiar voice greeted her. This had been sent to get her attention.

"What do you want?" she asked harshly.

"Gwen, I have a proposition for you."

"You have two minutes to tell me what it is and if I decide it's not a waste of my time, you are very lucky.

Lancelot grinned, "Well, I was thinking..."

**I bet you guys love me, don't you?**

**Teaser: Next up, Detective Merlin is on the case**

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**Semper Fi xxx**


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15**

Merlin took a deep breath as he entered the computer lab. The school arranged for the computers to be used for student free time until an hour after leaving time. This was in case the teenagers had no means of technology at home, and wanted to do homework, check Facebook, etc.

Arthur had reluctantly revealed to his best friend that his ancient computer had finally died, forcing him to use the school computer. This had been a major development in the case.

Mrs. Adders, the grumpy US History teacher, glared at the young man as he entered, gesturing her pen towards the sign-up sheet.

He wandered over and scribbled his name down. Making sure that the teacher wasn't looking, he grabbed the papers from the day in which the incriminating e-mail was sent. Shifting through them, he found Arthur's name, the time, along with 'Computer 13.'

Taking them with him, he scooted over to that computer. Most other people were on the opposite side of the quite large room, either alone, in pairs or in small groups, chatting quite happily as they browsed. Settling down, Merlin placed the evidence in front of him, as well as an A4 notebook usually reserved for when he was bored in class. In order to avert suspicion, he switched on the computer.

Mrs. Adders looked up from the papers she was grading, her eyes sweeping across the classroom before she looked back down again.

Logging onto a random website, Merlin pulled a pen out from his pocket, poised to right more names on the list of the accused. So far, the list was made up of the following:

_Lancelot- _Dated Gwen, who broke up with him for being a bully. Horrible to Arthur, had a lot to lose if the date went ahead. Prime suspect.

_Helios- _Best friend of Lancelot, but more like a crony. Hasn't really got any problem with Gwen, but will definitely be looking for an excuse to get Arthur. Will follow Lancelot's example and do his dirty work.

_Mordred- _Another lackey of Lancelot. Will do anything he is told. However, he would not want to get on Morgana's bad side, for _very_ obvious reasons!

_Nimueh- _She'll do anything to get a story!

_Jocks-_ A lot of the jocks want popularity and Gwen could give it to them. A lot of them are stuck in their ways and wouldn't want a 'loser' infiltrating their social circle.

_Cheerleaders- _Apart from Gwen's friends, they would have the same ideas as their male counterparts.

Sighing, he began typing something randomly onto the maths site as the teacher's eyes bore into him, stabbing him like a steak knife. Turning back to his words, he rearranged the sheets until he found the date that Arthur was in the room.

Turning back to the computer, he found the history. Browsing, he scrolled down until...

...BINGO! Arthur's e-mails were displayed clearly between the times of 2:45 and 3:10. Frowning, he realised that his friend had only been online until around three, which means they had definitely been accessed without his consent.

Knowing that it would be impolite to read whatever Arthur had written, Merlin closed down the page and went back to the previous site. Turning back to the sign-up sheet, he checked to see who was still in the lab after Arthur had packed up again.

Nimueh Afanc: 2:55- 3:11

Tristan Strong: 3:00-3:12

Isolde Stone: 3:02-3:15

Julius Borden: 3:08-3:11

Isedir Clan: 3:08- 3:16

Merlin's eyes crinkled. Nimueh was one of the main suspects, and this had shot her up to almost Lancelot-level, which was pretty much the highest rank.

Tristan and Isolde were the bad-asses of the school- they held the record for the most detentions ever received, were regulars at the principal's office etc. The duo had been dating ever since middle school and the rumour mill was currently going into overdrive at the apparent news they were due to be wed at the end of the school year (both seniors).It was a bad idea to get on the wrong side of the pair, as Tristan was a very tough and impatient student (as referenced by his surname) and Isolde could pack a punch. They picked their friends carefully, only letting them join their gang if they knew that they could truly trust them. Their mates were also street-wise and no nonsense- not necessarily bullies, but the type that wouldn't stand for any crap.

Julius was a bit of a loner who dipped in and out of Tristan and Isolde's group. He had a reputation for being a bit of a thief- he had been responsible for several missing wallets but this had never been proven. There was just no evidence.

Isedir belonged to a group of Druids. No-one was actually sure what they did, but they had been branded 'freaks' by the school hierarchy. He was the head of the group- the most mysterious, the most reluctant. Merlin did not really know Isedir, so did not feel that he could actually call him a loser, combined with the fact he was pretty much invisible too.

Scratching his head (literally, he was feeling slightly itchy that day), he continued to think as he bullet-pointed reasons why those people would want to break up the high-school 'Romeo and Juliet.' Well, hopefully the pair's love would not end up with them dying.

As far as he was aware, Arthur had never actually crossed Tristan and Isolde. If they had, the worse they would have done was beat him up. They were smart and sneaky, but they would never do anything so underhand, even if they were truly after revenge. Then again, nobody he knew well had ever had a personal experience with the troublesome twosome, so he had no idea what to expect.

Julius was extremely underhand and liked to play dirty- it was his skill, his talent. He was the kind the populars paid to find out bad stuff about the 'lesser' students, just before they dished the dirt. It was possible that Lancelot had hired him as a hitman in a sense- Julius would take the fall if the truth was uncovered (provided that extra money was given).

As far as Merlin was aware, Isedir had no real qualm with everybody. A polite and peaceful senior, he never seemed to bother anyone, even the bullies or tormentors. He just nodded or said something softly before slipping away in his stealthy manner.

Placing his notepad back in his backpack, he placed his head in his hands and dropped his face into the desk, completely frustrated with the turn of events. Mrs. Adders look up from her desk, her withered face crinkled into a mask of annoyance. Knowing that he would not get any further in this classroom, he gathered up his belonging, switching the computer off as he did so.

Going up to the front, he replaced the sheets as the teacher was distracted by the football club's loud screams and battle cries. Muttering to herself, she turned back to her marking.

Squiggling what looked like a signature and a finishing time, he left the room, feeling the knives' of Mrs. Adders' glare throw themselves into his back.

Turning the corner, he almost crashed into a figure.

"Hey, watch it Merlin!" snapped Nimueh as she glared at him, a recorder in one hand and heavy-looking bag in the other.

Dazed and confused, the teenager staggered upward.

"Sorry Nimueh, didn't see you there," he apologised.

She shrugged, wandering off, thinking to herself. It was several moments before Merlin realised what was happening.

"Hey, hey Nimueh!"

With that, he dashed down the corridor after her.

So much for being sneaky.

**Sorry it's short, but I had a hard time with this chapter. I think there will be around four chapters left, unless I decide to dismiss the last one. I've set in stone what is happening in this story.**

**I guess you have all heard the very sad news that Merlin will no longer be gracing our screens after this series. A friend told me in class and heard it on telly later than day. Safe to say that I am not happy, but it has to come to an end eventually. They can't really do much more with the show, and I have loved this series! I may cry, it just depends how it ends. I don't usually cry at TV shows (the NCIS Season 9 finale and Dr. Who Christmas Special 2011 being the only ones deserving my tears).**

**Teaser for next chapter: Gwen gets ready for the ball with her friends and will have a heart-to-heart with a friend. Oh, and Lancelot's proposition will be discovered.**

**149 reviews! LOVE YOU GUYS!**

**Replies:**

**BlueNynaeve: Thanks :D**

**jnie3: Thanks, I'm trying to finish it soon so I can focus on some Xmas stories. However, it will be sad finishing it.**

**Julie Winchester: Trust me, you will be surprised. Has this chapter given you any thoughts?**

**gorgeousangel: Hoped you liked Merlin's detectiveness.**

**BrangelLover: Thanks for your constant reviews.**

**2Sam11: Thanks, I'm glad I've made it so clear.**

**freckled98: It really seems as though he is a popular suspect. Do you have any more ideas of who it is after reading this?**

**whitecrossgirl: I had a surprise test last Friday. Good times.**

**Blissfulbeauty84: Trust me, there will be loads more suspense!**

**Larasmith: Love your questions and you may be close, but maybe not.**

**Guest: He's a silent hoper and thanks.**

**midnightread: Cheers.**


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16**

"FREYA ALICIA LAKE GIVE ME BACK MY MASCARA NOW OR I SWEAR TO GOD I'LL DROP YOU DURING THE NEXT PYRAMID!"

The brunette rolled her eyes as she threw the wand back to Morgana.

"You wouldn't," she threatened dauntingly.

"That won't work, considering you've given me it back," Morgana replied coolly as she moved to apply the wine-coloured lipstick to her mouth, before adding the velvety mascara. Pushing a strand of curled hair back to its original place, she placed the stick back onto the vanity table, sighing in contentment.

"Finished," she grinned, turning to her friends.

There was an appreciative gasp from their friends as she stepped into the light.

Her dress was above-knee length, a deep red with a halter-top. The straps, breasts and waist were covered with jewelled decoration whilst the skirt was flowing outward. Her hair was long and free, with a curled strand on each side of her head. She wore strappy rouge heels, with her legs going on for miles. Her earrings were dark hoops and she wore a black beaded bracelet on her right wrist.

In short, she looked amazing.

"Just the reaction I was waiting for," she joked in a drawl, miming an old-fashioned pose. The other girls laughed as she stared at them expectantly.

"Why aren't you guys dressed yet?" she nodded at Freya's fluffy pink dressing gown (borrowed from Gwen), Elena's bare feet and Gwen's natural facial area.

"Sorry we aren't as fast as you," her best friend replied.

"Get to it then."

"You cannot order us around," Elena told her as she examined her reflection in the full-length mirror, "If anybody can, it's Gwen- it is her house, you know."

"Whatever," Morgana shrugged, "I need to use the bathroom darlings. Be back in a jiffy."

With that, she sashayed off into the toilet attached to Gwen's bedroom. Shutting the door, the others comically groaned.

"I'm gonna get my gown on," Freya threw the dress over her shoulder, "I cannot believe that I actually put my make-up on before my actual outfit! Stupid, stupid Freya..!"

She trailed off before muttering to herself quietly, heading in the direction of the walk-in-wardrobe. Placing the paritioners in front of the archway, she began to get ready.

"I'm going to get my heels on," Elena pointed to the shoebox, "Are you going to get your slap on?"

Gwen rolled her eyes, "Yes, I am going to put my COSMETICS on. I also need to do my hair- do you think I should keep it up, or down?"

"I would put it up, if I were you," replied the blonde, shrugging her shoulders, "A bun, a neat one. If you did a messy, then it would look you've been pulled through a hedge backwards with a bird's nest resting on your head."

"Gee, thanks a bunch."

"Anytime."

She began to apply her foundation with a brush.

"I do not have a clue why you are actually going to the ball with Lancelot."

Gwen looked up sharply, staring at Elena's reflection.

"It's like I told you," sighed she, as she rubbed the foundation on her forehead, "I agreed to be his date to homecoming, so long as he is nice. If he is civil to all at the dance, and for an undecided period, then I promised that I would consider giving him another chance."

"Arthur would never do that to you, you know."

She whirled around, almost knocking over her extensive collection of perfumes.

"Arthur made his choice, and I made mine," Gwen replied in a monotone, "Lancelot made me happy and he is willing to change. It may not be overnight, but at least he is trying."

"Oh for God sake Gwen, get off your high horse! We all know you are totally in love with Arthur!"

The silence was audible as the dark-haired girl's cheeks turned redder than the blusher she was about to place onto her face.

"I do not love Arthur," she tried to sound cold and detached, but she could never be like that to a friend.

"Yes you do," Elena replied as she slipped on her heels, "You love Arthur and the only reason why you are being so stubborn about his 'mistake,' is because you are hurt that someone you care about could do such a thing. Arthur is kind, smart and caring- not one to hurt anyone. If he wanted to be popular, why did he wait so long to get you to date him, hm?"

Gwen could practically see Morgana's ear pressed against the bathroom door, with Freya getting quieter in her dressing in order to hear the full conversation.

"Arthur is shy," she tossed her head back, her hair shaking behind her, "He wanted to take advantage of a timely opportunity- a smart move if it were not so cruel."

"You are just trying to cover up the fact that you are wrong about something!" Elena threw her hands in the air to exaggerate her point.

Gwen sighed. She knew her hot-headed best friend wasn't going to give this up soon.

"Do you know how it feels to have your heartbroken?"

Elena's head snapped up.

"Excuse me?" she must have misheard.

"I really liked Arthur," Gwen whispered, a single tear falling down her cheek, "He was everything I want in a guy- kind-hearted, a gentleman, intelligent, funny and good-looking. Then he revealed his true nature and I lost somebody I cared about."

"You didn't lose him, you let him go," Elena replied softly.

Gwen sighed, before opening her mouth.

"You can come out now guys!" she called, "I know that you've been listening!"

As if on cue, Freya and Morgana shuffled back into the room, looking slightly awkward and sheepish. This, however, was ceased they all looked at each other's outfits.

Freya, unlike the woman-like Morgana, had gone for a girlish look. Her soft pink dress was tight until just past the waist, crinkled until the fabric flared out in several layers, creating a mermaid style. The top of her sweetheart neckline was covered in sequins. The back was stitched together with a huge bow. Her long, dark hair was pulled into a plait that reached down to her middle. Her shoes were mid-heel stilettos, which matched her dress.

Elena was in a Grecian style, soft blue dress. The V-Line neck had a piece of chiffon wrapped around it, with the rest of it free as a wind. The back was zipped and much the same style as the front. Her hair was in a sleek bun and she wore golden gladiator sandals. She had modelled herself after Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love.

However, Gwen looked the best.

She wore a deep purple gown with a natural waistline and thin, soft material. The sweetheart neckline was matched with a simple strap on the right and fake flowers on the left one. The skirt was straight down with fabric going two-hundred and seventy degrees around it, leaving an opening in the front. Her heels were open-toe. She wore golden hooped-earrings and a diamond, thick bracelet. Her hair was pulled in a neat bun, with a strand on each side, similar to Morgana's.

"YOU GIRLS LOOK SO GORGEOUS!" said girl screamed as the friends jumped into a sandwiched group hug.

"I'm the seductress, of course," Morgana winked, "Elena is our goddess, Freya is our Hollywood Queen whilst Gwen is the girl next-door."

"Gwaine's gonna drop dead when he sees you," Freya replied, "Lancelot will be on his knees and Percival will have his eyes wider than saucers when he gets an eyeful of Elena. Hopefully Edwin will...CRAP!"

Her bezzies burst into fits of laughter at her red face, embarrassed at her slip-up.

"So much for keeping it quiet," giggled Gwen.

"I thought Edwin was off with Mithian," a confused Elena stated.

"No, Helios got that wrong," Morgana interjected, "You see, she is going with Leon. Bloody good job too, he's fancied the pants off her for ages, but has been too shy to even go up and speak to her. Usually, he's pretty confident. Mithian likes him back, it's kind of obvious."

"Love is in the air," Elena sighed.

Nobody dared mention Arthur again- that wouldn't be the best idea any of them had.

Suddenly, the distant sound of 'This Kiss,' was heard. Realising it was her phone ringing; Freya dashed to the vanity and almost fell over, grabbing her clutch. Taking the mobile out, she pulled it to her ear without looking at the caller ID.

"Hello? Oh hey, Edwin."

The others nudged each other and giggled. Freya glared at them, giving the group a finger to the lips as a sign to shut up.

"Yeah, I'm all ready. Why?"

Her happy face suddenly became crestfallen, the hope taken from her eyes. She frowned and turned away.

"Oh."

They couldn't hear Edwin on the other end, so the girls immediately became concerned for their friend.

"Alright. Bye then."

She pressed the decline bottom and whirled around to face her friends.

"What's up?" Gwen was the first to speak.

"Edwin isn't coming," Freya sighed, "He just said that he can't be bothered. He said sorry, but that's not much of an apology, is it?"

"Not really," Morgana agreed.

"Aw, that's so sucky!" Gwen reached to hug her friend, who consented to the form of affection.

"Oh well," Elena shrugged, "When you get off with someone super special, he is going to be super jealous!"

"That isn't going to happen," Freya scoffed.

"You might be wrong," Morgana replied mysteriously as the doorbell rang.

"THE BOYS ARE HERE!"

**Hey guys! Hope you enjoyed this chapter.**

**OMG 'All My Heart,' is my new favourite episode! **

**Teaser for next chapter: You will find the culprit out! It's what you've all been waiting for...**

**If you want to see the dresses, links in my profile.**

**Thank you for the superb reviews! Replies:**

**SuperGirlOnToast: That did sound weird. Thanks for the review.**

**Ncisfan with Tivafever: I know, it is so sad! At least we have NCIS to fall back on. I've loved this series.**

**LHC1: That is a wise and very true statement.**

**jnie3: Hope you enjoyed it!**

**BrangelLover: Elena is that friend! Hope you liked it.**

**2Sam11: He is, isn't he?**

**whitecrossgirl: Merlin is such an epic detective! And as a reply to your review on 'Repayment in Robes,' I agree with you about Mordred. I am warming up to him.**

**larasmith: There will be some Arwen interaction next chapter, so you'll have to see what happens.**

**freckled98: Not a bad guess.**

**Julie Winchester: Most likely someone else entirely, but you'll have to see...**

**LadyL: That's okay, thanks for the reviews.**

**Semper Fi xxx**


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17**

Gwen took a deep breath as she placed her heel down on the first step of the staircase in the school ballroom. She clutched Lancelot's arm tightly, but he did not send a reassuring look her way. Feeling slightly downtrodden, she looked to her friends.

Lancelot had not even complimented her appearance. A stuttering Percival had told Elena that she looked completely beautiful, which had made her blush extremely hard. Even Gwaine had been kind to Morgana by saying that she looked almost as hot as him, which was a compliment in his own twisted little way. However, Lancelot had just nodded at her, banging on about how the two of them were 'totally meant to be together,' and that they would 'rile the school just like they were meant to.' He'd sneered at the fact that Freya didn't have a date, which was just cruel.

In short, Gwen knew deep down that it had been a very idea to let Lancelot back in her life. She was upset with Arthur, but Lancelot was a simply vindictive and sadistic individual. In his expensive suit, he boasted wealth and quality.

She was going to hate tonight. It was her homecoming, but she was going to hate it.

Gwen: zero. Life: one.

Whispers echoed as the three pairs and one singleton walked down, oozing popularity and confidence. A smile crept on everybody's faces as they noticed the beauty of Guinevere, but frowns soon appeared as they noticed her on the arm of Lancelot. They weren't particularly impressed with Arthur, but they really didn't like the most-liked girl in the school with the most popular, albeit one of the most hated boys.

"They think you look amazing Gwen," Freya beamed at her friend, "Everyone will want to be dancing with you tonight, honey!"

"Yes, but there will be only man one for her," Lancelot ran a hand through his hair, his tone filled with arrogance like a car filled with petrol, "Nobody else will stand a chance."

Freya made a face as he turned away, as Gwen hid a smirk, whilst Elena didn't have any shame in hiding her laughter. Lancelot glared coldly at her as they reached the bottom step. Several members of the crowd still ogled her, but it had mostly dispersed.

"I am going to get a drink," she detached herself from Lancelot, turning to him slightly.

"If you are offering," he replied off-handedly, waving his palm in her face as Mordred ran over, desperate to obey his master. Rolling her eyes at Freya, she wandered over to the table and began taking punch with the ladle.

"You look beautiful."

Gwen jumped slightly and turned around to see Arthur sadly smiling down at her, looking very dapper in a black tux. The front looked as though some materials had been cut off it, but it was unknown to her. She wanted to tell him that he looked handsome, but she bit her tongue, remembering what he had done.

"Thank you," she replied frostily, trying to be aloof. She felt a blush reach her cheeks, but she desperately tried to make her cheeks remain neutral.

"What happened with your tux?" she blurted out, gesturing to the lapels.

"It was my dad's," Arthur sighed in explanation, "It's from years ago, which means that it had all sorts of ruffles and stuff on it, the fashion back then. Had to get my elderly next-door neighbour, Gladys, to help me hack them off neatly with her sewing kit. Took a while, I tell you."

Gwen laughed slightly, but instantly stopped.

"Do you have a date?" she could not keep the bitterness out of her voice.

"No, I'm alone," Arthur helped himself to a drink, before stopping it at his lips, "Wait, do you know if Gwaine's spiked this yet?"

Gwen shook her head.

"I arrived here just now with him, he's Morgana's date. He hasn't had a chance yet but he'll probably do it soon."

She smirked slightly as she sipped the punch.

"I saw you arrive with Lancelot," Arthur made the air suddenly serious again; "I don't know why you've put yourself through this again."

She looked at him sharply, her face suddenly emotionless, "It is not your place to meddle in my affairs. I have chosen to attend homecoming with him and it is none of your concern."

"Sorry, Guinevere, but I still care about you," he replied quite bluntly, "I promise that I did nothing, that the e-mail was not written from my fingertips. Lancelot is a jerk, an idiot and does not really care about you, only his popularity. You deserve somebody who treats you well, listens to you and cares about your problems, not somebody who will brush you off with a second thought."

"Like you?"

"Well, yes."

"Typical, you cannot be with me," Gwen snapped, "So nobody else can."

"That wasn't what I said," Arthur defended.

"In a nutshell, yes it was. Lancelot may have his faults, but he made me happy for almost a year. I broke up with him because of you!"

Before Arthur could respond, a familiar figure approached. Vivian sauntered over, wrapping herself around the blonde, giggling rather shrilly and in an annoying manner. She wore a very, very tight bright pink dress which accented her figure and showed a ridiculous amount of cleavage. It was surprising that she'd actually managed to get into the school without being told to change or cover up.

"Hey Arthur, looking hot," she wasn't even drunk.

Gwen gave a look of disgust as she stalked off.

"Wait, Guinevere!" Arthur attempted to disentangle Vivian from him, "Get off me, Vivian. I'm not interested in you. Now, get away."

"But we are such a super couple!" she played with a strand of her long, light hair.

"Whatever," he pushed her away. Without a tinge of guilt, he watched her stagger off, looking angry and upset, tears in her baby blue eyes.

This was going well.

-BOY NEXT DOOR-

Around an hour later, after circulating through all of the social groups, she began to look for her girls.

Looking around, Gwen finally found her friends, joined by Mithian and Sefa. Sefa was going with some kid from the chess club whilst Mithian's date (Leon) was off somewhere getting drinks. At least he was being respectful- she found it nice that her English peer had found someone worthy.

The dark-haired beauty looked flawless in white, her dress criss-crossing at the top with an Egyptian neckline holding it up. The back of the dress went almost down to the waist, with a jewelled pattern meeting it. Her hair looked as though she had jumped straight from a shampoo advert- sleek, straight and shiny.

Sefa had gone for a knee-length, blue number with a v-neck and creases that led to a rose on her left hip. The back was simple and straight, with a regular zip. She wore silver wedges and her hair long, with a braid on each side.

"Wow, you guys look immense!" Gwen grinned, hugging them both. Mithian beamed back, but her friend was a little shyer, only giving a small smile of polite thanks.

"You too, Gwen," Mithian took in her appearance, "Love the dress. Will there ever be a time when you will not wear purple? Or is it always that colour?"

"Forever and always," the dark-haired teen, "Wait a second, where's Lancelot."

The grins flickered from Freya and Elena's faces whilst Sefa looked scared and Mithian unsure. However, Morgana wasn't going to let the football player get away this time.

"Over there," she pointed at the dance floor. Gwen spun around, her eyes glazing over as she saw her date. He was dancing with none other than a scorned Mithian. Well not dancing, more like grinding. In the suggestive moves, the pair moved very close together. Not even an ant could come between them, their bodies were practically intertwined.

"If you murdered him, I would fully support you," Morgana examined her perfectly-manicured nails, "He's treated you like dirt and it's time to kick him to the curb."

Gwen's heart beat quickly as she stepped forward, ready to give Lancelot a piece of her intelligent mind.

Only to be interrupted by...

... "Can all Homecoming nominees come onto the stage please?" Principal Agravaine de Bois spoke into the microphone, "It is time to announce the winners."

Gwen groaned, but smiled falsely as Lancelot walked over, putting an arm around her waist. She caught Arthur's eyes as he merged into the crowd, hurt filling his features. Trying to ignore the burning feeling in her chest, she ascended the stairs. Lancelot released her, joining Leon and Gwaine on the male side, with Mithian and Morgana following Gwen to the section reserved for the ladies.

"Good evening students, I hope that you are having a brilliant night so far," Agravaine smiled, "We have three boys and three girls hoping to accept the crown, but only two will have the honour of becoming your Homecoming Royalty. Let us announce the King first."

Handed a slip from a member of the Homecoming Committee, he slipped it open and scanned it with his eyes, before looking up.

"Lancelot du Lac." He started an applause, which was only continued by the audience because they had to. Arthur fizzled in Arthur as he watched the dark-haired young man smarmily accept the crown placed on his head, facing everyone with a look of pure smugness. He desperately wanted to whisper something to Merlin, but his best friend had not actually turned up yet.

"Now for our queen," Agravaine opened yet another envelope, "Congratulations...Gwen Leodegrance!"

There was absolute celebration as cheers, applause and woos were called out from the crowd. Blushing, Gwen tottered over to the principal and let him place the tiara on her head. Arthur clapped until his hands were red raw and sore, extremely pleased that Gwen had gotten queen. She deserved it- popular, kind, beautiful and intelligent.

"Well done to the pair," the principal shushed the school to be quiet, "Now it is time for your dance."

Lancelot reached for Gwen's hand, a sickening smile forming. Holding his palm loosely, they descended the stairs and began walking towards the middle of the floor. They stopped, turned to each other and...

...BAM!

The doors burst open and in ran Merlin, practically throwing himself down the steps. Gasps echoed throughout the crowd. Arthur froze at the sight of his best friend skidding across the wood, almost crashing into a table. Stopping around ten feet short of the couple, he stopped for breath.

"What the hell is this all about?" asked Lancelot, obvious anger infiltrating his tone.

"A...A...Arthur didn't write the e-mail," Merlin panted, "I h...h...have the real culprit."

Even more gasps were formed and a babble of chatter started, the students breaking off into little groups. The blonde did a little happy dance inside whilst Gwen's eyes looked as though they were going to pop out of her sockets.

"Then who is it?" a male yelled from the teenagers assembled.

Merlin paused, his breath coming back to him. Turning around, he circled until he was back facing Lancelot and Gwen.

"Lancelot's uncle."

There were several more titters of talk.

"Now who would that be?" Morgana shouted from the stage.

"Mr. Roswell."

**Dun, dun, dun. Bet you weren't expecting that, were you? Well if you did, you get 1000 virtual cookies.**

**Teaser for next chapter: Some serious stuff is going to go down.**

**Thank you for the 178 reviews! You guys are seriously awesome. Will we get to 200?**

**Replies:**

**jnie3: Even though he wasn't in it much this chapter, he will have a much bigger role next time round.**

**freckled98: Well, hopefully not for long...**

**BrangelLover: There will be a lot of interaction next chapter, I tell ya...**

**LHC1: Seems like she's finally come to her senses.**

**Guest: Next chapter: Arwen will have loads of talk next time around. And yeah, this week's was so definitely the best!**

**KshMckenzie: I liked it too, I always have Gwen in purple.**

**blissfulbeauty84: Next chapter will answer what you want, whether it is bad or good.**

**whitecrossgirl: Maybe, maybe not. Also, loving your stories at the moment.**

**Julie Winchester: Were you close? I loved reading your consistent guesses.**

**Skw: I was originally going to make it Merlin, but I thought meh, too obvious. **

**larasmith: Well, the lies will be slowly uncovered...**

**Semper Fi xxx**


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18**

Every student assembled froze with shock, their faces etched with the emotions they were feeling. Arthur was torn- half of him wanted to scream with excitement whilst the other part of him felt hurt at the fact that one of his favourite teachers would do this to him, even if they were related to his worst enemy.

Mr. Roswell, who had been chaperoning, turned totally red, realising that he had been rumbled. Half the teens turned to him, whilst the remaining lot fixated their gaze on Merlin, Arthur, Lancelot and Gwen.

"He's y...y...you're uncle?" Gwen stuttered in shock, staring at her date as if she were a blind woman seeing the light for the first time. Lancelot nodded shamefully and she moved away from him, her face twisted in anger. He tried to reach for her, but she moved back.

"Yes, he is my nephew," Mr. Roswell admitted, "I've been estranged from his father (my brother) for years, mainly because of the fact he is extremely rich and I am a teacher. I changed my name to remove myself from that family- my name is actually Andrew du Lac, not Andrew Roswell. Lancelot knew he had an uncle, but he did not know it was me. One morning, he saw my looking through some old photos in the hall. Later that day, after a cover lesson, he stayed behind and approached my desk. I was forced to come clean, to admit everything."

He turned to Merlin, suddenly becoming panicky.

"But I didn't do anything!" he suddenly shouted, "I did not tamper with Arthur's e-mail, nor did I do anything that interrupt his relationship with Gwen. That is purely fabrication, rubbish from that boy's mouth." He pointed at the detective, his finger shaking with obvious nerves.

Merlin rolled his twinkling blue eyes, pulling something from behind his back.

"Evidence Part One," he waved a tape recorder in the air- Nimeuh's tape recorder, "Mrs. Adders, who was on duty during that fateful afternoon, neglected to mention that you were there. She did not record you because you are a teacher. I caught her talking to Miss. Kennedy, and decided that it would appropriate to record it."

Pressing the play button, the whole room went as silent as a mouse in haste to listen to it.

'_Did you hear about the whole Arthur Pendragon/Gwen Leodegrance affair?' Miss. Kennedy's soft, youthful voice was heard._

'_Oh yes,' Mrs. Adders replied, 'Frightfully shocking, he seemed like such a nice young lad.'_

'_He did,' Kennedy agreed, 'So what happened when he was in the lab when you were watching over them. Was he acting suspicious?'_

'_Not really, he was acting completely normally. Most likely wanting to avert suspicion from himself. He was the only one who used the computer after school, apart from Andrew.'_

'_Andrew Roswell?'_

'_Yes, one and the same," Adders confirmed, "I don't know why he didn't use one of the computers in the staff room, but he said that they were all being used up.'_

'_Strange. I feel sorry for Gwen; I bet she was so devastated.'_

'_Aye, she most likely was. Arthur was certainly a much better match for Gwen than that Lancelot boy- I've always hated that smarmy lad. Reminds me of my kid brother.'_

_Kennedy sniggered slightly as the sound faded._

There was an outbreak of gossip as Lancelot fumed and Roswell toed the floor.

"Anything to say, Mr. Roswell?" asked Merlin, practically jumping with glee at the fact that the teacher looked as though he was going to break. That confession would soon come- the cat would be let out of the bag.

"You may have won the battle, but you have not won the war," replied the English professor, "But what proof do you have that I was on an e-mail site and not actually doing any work, hm?" He raised an eyebrow- he would not be outsmarted by a cocky student.

"These," Merlin pulled out a pair of black and white-photos. One showed Mr. Roswell on his computer, looking very determined as he moved the mouse, his chin resting on his face. The next was similar, but was blown-up using the latest high-tech gear. 'HELLO ARTHUR P!' was seen in big letters and the arrow was pointing toward 'compose.'

"It looks like you've been found out, _sir,"_ Arthur stepped forward, spitting the name out as if it were poison.

"He threatened me," Mr. Roswell suddenly shouted, his deer eyes swiftly moving around the room, darting from Merlin to Lancelot, "He threatened that his father would ruin my job and manage to take away my house, my car, my money, my dog-everything. I love Sandy! She's all I have in the miserly world! If I did this, then he would keep me stable for life. They might even give me a little extra money this year!"

Looking on the verge of tears, Merlin really had to stop himself from doing a back flip. The pressure had gotten into the mind of the teacher. His questioning had got him from denial to admittance.

"Andrew, I want you to leave this dance now and come back on Monday, reading for a disciplinary hearing," Agravaine's face was stony; "I dare say that you won't be let off with just a warning."

Mr. Roswell gave a resigned sigh as he dared not face Arthur or Gwen, his eyes pleading at Merlin, who shot back with a satisfied smirk, his arms folded in front of his chest. After the middle-aged man had left the building, all focus shifted back to Lancelot.

He started to panic. Big-time.

"I think it is time for you to leave, Mr. Du Lac," the principal looked at the boy in absolute disgust, "Take off your crown- you are no longer King of the Homecoming Dance."

Everyone felt pleasure reach them, but said nothing. They did not want a catch.

"For what?!" Lancelot yelled, agitated.

"Blackmail is illegal," Agravaine told him, "The police will be involved- I will deal with you as well as your uncle on Monday. Count your lucky stars that I am not getting you downtown this instant, young man."

"THIS IS BULLCRAP!" the former king protested.

"Get over yourself, Prancelot," Gwen snapped, suddenly joining the conversation.

He turned back to his date, fear filling his eyes. It was time for the smack down.

"But, Gwen..."

"Don't Gwen me!" she scolded, her deep orbs glazing with Hell's fury, "I am sick of you! Blackmail is a crime! And against your own uncle? What kind of sick, twisted so and so are you? TELL ME?"

"Please, I did it for us," he pleaded.

"You claim to care for me, but instead you ruined my happiness! I was perfectly capable of being happy with somebody else, but you had to ruin it for me, didn't you?! I now feel like a complete ass, I blamed Arthur. Now he probably hates me and it's all because of you! I made his life a living Hell because I was too quick to judge! Lancelot, if you ever talk to me again, I will not hesitate to do something I would never sorely regret!"

She turned away, her face calming.

"But, Gwen!"

She continued to face him no longer.

"Gwen!"

That's when she whirled back around...

...WHACK!

Gwen's fist impacted with Lancelot's face, making a resounding _crack._ He staggered back, before hitting the floor in a deaf faint.

"Go Guinevere," Arthur whispered to himself.

The crowd could no longer hold their happiness in. Woops and cheers were called, with the head cheerleader's name screamed in a positive fashion. Claps, pats and hugs were administered as Gwen took the crown from her ex-boyfriend's head.

"So who is king now?" she asked, confused.

"Gwaine and Leon got an equal amount of votes," a member of the homecoming committee announced, "We'll have to pick between them."

There was a confused silence.

"ARTHUR!" Merlin suddenly yelled.

"ARTHUR! ARTHUR! ARTHUR!" the crowd chanted, all in agreement. Morgana, Leon, Gwaine and Mithian all screamed in joy, wanting the young man as the head of the Homecoming Court.

"Me?" the blonde asked, completely baffled.

"Yes you, you clotpole," Merlin pushed his best friend forward as Agravaine stepped down from the stage. Still shocked, Arthur crouched slightly as the crown was placed on his soft hair.

"I think it is time for me to present your new Homecoming King and Queen...Arthur Pendragon and Guinevere Leodegrance."

There was another huge round of applause.

"Now it is time for the dance, if you would please get together," Agravaine concluded. Arthur stepped in front of Gwen and held out an awkward hand. She took it and stepped into his arms, getting them into a waltz position.

_We were both young when I first saw you,_

_I close my eyes and the flashback starts,_

"Kind of an appropriate song, huh?" Gwen tried to break the awkward silence between the pair as they began to move along to the beat, just like the time they had danced in class.

"Yeah, I suppose," Arthur sighed as he watched the students on edge with excitement.

"You cannot begin to know how bad I feel."

He looked down at her, his face melting.

"I definitely don't hate you Guinevere, if that is what you are wondering," is what he replied in what was hoped to be a soothing tone.

"You should, I've been awful to you. I automatically assumed that you had done it, because of a broken heart. I somehow got it into that thick skull of mine that you had done something to ruin me, even though you would never even hurt a fly. Arthur, I am so sorry. If you do hate me, I truly understand."

A tear slipped down her cheek.

"Don't cry Guinevere," Arthur whispered, "I just feel awful that I broke your heart."

"Don't kid yourself; there is no need to apologise for breaking my heart. It wasn't you, it was me. I care far too much."

"About what?"

"You," she looked straight into his eyes.

"I care about you, too," he smiled.

They stared at each other before slowly moving in closer. Leaning upwards in order to reach him, she grinned against his face.

"Fancy passing the centimetre mark?"

"I've always been one for breaking the rules."

Their lips moulded together, soft at the first, but eventually turning passionate. They closed their eyes as the crowd went wild. It was rather curious how everyone immediately liked him after hearing the truth. Not so quick to judge now.

"Took you long enough!" Merlin encouraged as his hands cupped his mouth.

"It did," a voice agreed.

He jumped as Freya joined his left side, looking wistful but still beautiful in his opinion. She looked at him and smiled.

"I'm glad he's found someone."

"She's always deserved loved."

"By the way Freya, you look so stunning. I'm surprised nobody has been blinded by your beauty yet."

She blushed a deep scarlet, "Thanks."

"Hey, d'ya wanna dance?" he noticed other couples including Leon/Mithian, Percival/Elena and Gwaine/Morgana floating toward the floor. He then held his arm out, just like a gentleman.

"Sure," she took the arm offered and they walked onto the floor.

Many more pairs joined the others whilst the singletons sat on the side, watching them sadly. Several brave men and women took the liberty of asking other loners.

There would be more than one romance tonight.

Mordred desperately tried to catch Sefa's eye. They may not be destined to be together, but not everything the fate dictated would happen had to start in high school.

They eventually looked at each other and Sefa looked away, embarrassed.

He stood up and strode over purposefully, until he was right in front of her.

"Would you like to dance?" he asked boldly.

She nodded shyly, placing her palm on his as he helped her onto her feet. Connecting, they began to sway to the music.

Arthur and Gwen looked around, smiling at the sight of everybody having a good time and enjoying themselves.

"Seems we aren't the only ones in a mood for a kiss tonight," Arthur nodded his head toward Gwaine and Morgana, who were making out. It looked like they were in some kind of weird wrestling game.

"At least we are tasteful," Gwen laughed heartily as she saw the disgusted looks of the couples around them, "They look horrified. It's not like they don't do it."

"Agreed."

Gwen looked back at him.

"I guess this means that we're dating, right?" she tried to sound hopeful.

"Don't see why not," Arthur winked at her.

"Good," she grinned as she pulled him in for another kiss...

**Hey guys! Hoped you liked the ultra-sappy chapter. I didn't think that they were ready to say 'I love you' yet, so I thought that 'I care' would suffice. Next update will be the last- a mini-chapter/epilogue. That can be the teaser. Also, in the epilogue I'm doing about everyone's future jobs, but I cannot decide one for him. I don't want it to be a terrible job, but I don't exactly want it to be top-end. Help?**

**For those who don't know, the last ever Merlin will be on Christmas Eve instead of Saturday 29****th****. That will mean I'll be sat crying in my Grandma's living room in front of my parents.**

**Last chapter, I said that Lancelot danced with Mithian. I meant Vivian, typo, sorry. Thanks to skw for pointing that out!**

**190 reviews! Love you all so much! Can we please get to 200 soon?**

**Replies:**

**LHC1: Hope this chapter answered all your questions.**

**BlueNynaeve: Ha ha. Hope this chapter made you happier than the cliff-hanger.**

**larasmith: I guess she isn't naive anymore.**

**BrangelLover: I'm starting to like Mordred, so I couldn't make him evil.**

**skw: Thanks and also cheers again for the correction.**

**KshMckenzie08: He's a definite asshole and thanks :D**

**whitecrossgirl: Thanks, he is epic at timing. You were right about the Freylin.**

**blissfulbeauty84: And it happened! Now Lancelot's guilty by blackmail.**

**Lc4evs: Very clever. I wasn't going to do the ruffles, but I thought that it would be fun to add them. By popular demand, of course.**

**Julie Winchester: They have!**

**Semper Fi xxx**


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19**

_2 Months Later…_

Gwen smiled at the new picture of herself and Arthur, taping it to the inside of her locker. He had his arms around her happily as they beamed at the camera, a photo taken by an unusually helpful Morgana at Gwaine's birthday party. It was so natural; they had unintentionally smiled at the small hole as their friend had pulled the Nikon on front of their faces.

Suddenly, she froze as a pair of huge hands appeared in front of her eyes. Relaxing slightly when she realised who it was, she turned around.

"You are so predictable," she laughed as Arthur bent down to give her a peck on the lips.

He shrugged, "Well, you like it Guinevere, so it is totally fine, is it not?" He winked at her.

"Did you just wink at me?"

"Yes, I did."

"Do me a favour," Gwen reshuffled the books in the top shelf, "Never do that again? You like a totally idiot when you do it."

"I feel so pleased when you compliment me," he commented sarcastically, "Anyhow, back to regular conversation. I have something very, very important to tell you- I wanted you to be the very first to know. Well, after Merlin. I told him last night. Don't say a word until I am done, okay. Promise?"

She nodded enthusiastically.

"As you know, my father had to close his company down due to mounting debts and his depression. It turns out that his long-lost-great-uncle, Stanley, secretly bought 'Pendragon Industries,' but under the name of 'The Camelot Company.' He said in his will that he wanted my father to inherit it back upon his death, knowing that it would be ready and also requested that it was brought back to its original name. A few days, Stanley died of old age. That means my father inherits a $400 million company, which turnovers mass amounts of money each year."

He grinned, catching his breath in a finish.

"OH MY GOSH, THAT'S AMAZING!" Gwen yelled, throwing herself into Arthur's arms. He whirled her around, her feet flying round in the air. They ignored the scared stares of their fellow students as he placed her back on the ground gently.

"Well, not about this Stanley fellow, sad that he died," she commented, flushed, "But that is amazing! I am so happy for you and your dad, you deserve this, you both do."

"Thank you, Guinevere, I agree that it is sad that somebody had to die for our happiness," he brushed a strand of her hair to the side, "We're going to pay off all of our debts first, then start looking for a house. Get all the important things done straight away- I don't want to live in that crapshack anymore."

She laughed slightly as he gazed at her lovingly.

"Shall we go and find the others?" she asked.

He nodded, taking her hand as they walked down the corridors of Albion High. The other students moved out the way to let them pass, even though they both hated it when that happened.

Hearing some unusual voices, they looked to the side to see the members of the chess club circling Helios and Lancelot, who were completely outnumber. The victims were finally pushing back against the bullies who had tormented them for so long.

They looked around helplessly as the couple passed them.

"I think we should stop that," Gwen suddenly told Arthur, "Yes, Lancelot and Helios have done some terrible things, but we should not stoop to their level."

"Says the girl who punched him in the face, knocking him out."

She blushed, "I wasn't proud, you know. It was not my finest hour, I tell you."

Arthur beamed at her compassion, "You are kind to a fault."

She smiled, but before they could intervene, the chess club moved away, leaving a visibly shaken pair of former football players. Arthur shot them a 'ha ha' look as they passed- he agreed with Gwen about not stooping to their level, but it didn't stop him from having a bit of revenge, right?

"Do you reckon they'll be under the tree?" she asked as they stepped outside in the cold December wind.

Arthur nodded as they walked around the corner, finding their mates sprawled underneath the ash tree that they now enjoyed spending time under during breaks, lunches and free periods.

Morgana was on Gwaine's lap and they were snogging. Again.

Mithian's legs were placed on Leon's lap and they were deep in conversation with Percival and Elena. The latter was sat in front of the former.

Freya was sat in-between Merlin's legs and they too were conversing freely.

Mordred and Sefa, who were not a couple, were sat separately, looking moderately scared and fairly uncomfortable. Deciding to save them from embarrassment, Gwen pulled Gwaine and Morgana apart.

"Oi!" the cheeky chappy proclaimed, "I was just getting into that!"

"Get over it," Arthur replied dryly as his girlfriend sat by his side. He immediately put an arm around her and she placed her head on this shoulder.

Merlin looked at him and he shot back an 'I'll tell them later,' glare.

He and Freya had been dating ever since the ball, the same as with the rest of the couple. It had been revealed that it was her that he had a crush on, which left the group wondering why on earth they hadn't of thought of that earlier- it was so freaking obvious. They had danced and had a good time.

The student population had apologised for behavior, and accepted the couple. The lowers of the high school society were pleased to see one of their own at the top. The class system had practically been abolished- computer club members were seen hanging out with the jocks, the cheerleaders spent time with the Goths. There was still popular and unpopular, but it was now altered.

Mordred no longer had a crush on Morgana- he realised that she was happier with Gwaine. They may have kissed a lot, but they were still emotionally connected. Sefa had seen him staring after Kara Dowling, so everyone was teasing him now. It was all in good humour however.

It was all going to change now.

For the better.

-BOY NEXT DOOR-

And it did.

Leodegrance Corporation and Pendragon Industries combined. Uther and Tom became joint CEOs and Elyan became their vice after college.

Arthur attended Columbia University, an Ivy League in NYC. He studied business, his dream and joined the newly reformed Leodegrance-Pendragon company, becoming Head of Publishing.

Gwen attended Cornell, another Ivy League in NY, majoring in business and minoring in writing. She started her own charity 'Angel Wings,' for seriously ill children and teens, as well as writing many, many bestsellers. A lot of them were turned into films.

She and Arthur married. They had their ups and downs, but were mainly very happy. They also had two kids- James Elyan and Eliza Ygraine.

Morgana studied media at Stanford and eventually became a TV presenter. She got her own programme ('Morgana's Room'), which was as successful as the likes of 'The Ellen Show' and 'The Talk.' She and Gwaine (now a very, very famous comedy actor) wed and bore four kids: Kaylee, twins Connor and Brandon as well as Casey.

Merlin started his own detective company (Wizard Agency) whilst Freya created 'Lakehouse,' an international fashion organization. They had twin girls, Emily and Ella after also marrying.

Leon started work at the FBI and became Director, whilst Mithian became a Senator. They had two boys- Jake and Josh. Like the others, they also became husband and wife.

Percival became a player in the 'Albion Dragons,' eventually owning the club after his retirement. Elena was an Olympian Equestrian, later the editor of 'Sports Illustrated.' She won four gold medals, two silvers and a bronze. They also tied to knot, but did not choose to have any children.

Mordred and Kara never married, just dating for all of their life. Mordred chose a simpler life, becoming a Chemistry Professor at Brown University (it was the only thing he has a true talent for). He had a daughter named Finna.

Sefa started a babysitting company called 'Babycare.' She ended up marrying Edwin and the pair had three children- John, Madison and Katie.

Helios never graduated school properly. He got many girls 'in trouble' and became reliant on welfare. He never held a job down and was jailed for life when he was thirty after murdering several people.

Lancelot also never graduated, and ended up being a cleaner for Pendragon-Leodegrance. He never married nor had any kids, but had the satisfaction of watching Arthur swing his briefcase in everyday, being all successful.

That was well and good, but only one thing truly mattered:

The boy next-door got the cheerleader.

And they lived Happily Ever After.

_The End_

**Done. Finished. Over.**

**Shame, I loved doing this fic! It was so amazing to write and I am so proud of how it turned out- one of my very favourites to write.**

**Cheers for the suggestions on Arthur's job.**

**THANK YOU to everyone who read, reviewed, critiqued, alerted and favourited! You guys are all amazing and are my inspirations. I won't list everyone, in case I miss anyone out, but thank you to every individual. Virtual cookies for you all!**

**Thanks for getting me to exactly 200 reviews- love you people!**

**Replies:**

**jnie3: I know, so sad! It really sunk in this week when I was watching it, that it was going to be over. I got all sad. Thanks for all of the reviews!**

**BrangelLover: Thanks for all of the reviews and injury threats ;). I know so sad! At least we have Xmas. **

**KshMckenzie08: That's nice. Cheers to you too.**

**freckled98: IKR? Thanks to you as well.**

**larasmith: Him being a Dean would have been good. Thanks for the idea. I love all of your questions- it makes me feel great that you properly read it and pay attention to the story.**

**blissfulbeauty84: *High-fives you.* Well done! Thanks for reading :D**

**whitecrossgirl: Thanks for all of your support. You are one of my favourite authors on Fanfic and my fave for Merlin! I loved the Gangnam Style chapter.**

**LadyL: Thanks for the business idea, I would have done it if I hadn't of picked this one for him. Thank you for reading and reviewing.**

**Julie Winchester: That's a great idea if I ever do a fic like that in the future, if you don't mind me nicking it!**

**Thanks again to everyone.**

**Over and out!**

**Semper Fi xxx**


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